of course at 11:00 a.m. >> that's what's happening today in the bay. good morning. urged to evacuate. in the wake of a fiery train crash, an entire north dakota town put on notice as winds shift the dangerous smoke. this morning the latest from the scene. a new year's resolution. a possible rescue in the works for dozens of passengers ont ship now stranded in antarctica for a week. but will the weather cooperate? slight improvement. michael schumacher showing improving signs this morning. out with the old, in with the new. 2014 arrives in some parts of the world as we get you ready for the large of new year's eve party of them all live from

times square, tuesday, december 31st, 2013. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on a tuesday morning. >> i'm erica hill. savannah, al and natalie have the morning off. >> did you see that sign, happy new year? it's tomorrow. but we're getting ready. >> good to be prepared. >> carson daly getting the iron man award. he's up early with us today. he will be hosting a big new year's eve celebration this morning. he's already there. carson? >> matt, erica, good morning. on the first -- i'm the first journalist out here. my show starts in 17 hours. but i wanted to get a jump on things. this is a tradition over 100

years odd. times square. it's the calm before the storm. nearly a million will be here behind us. we have a great show on nbc. i'll tell you more about it in a little bit. you're right, today is the longest day of my year. >> you do that show so well, as you do this one. carson, we'll check in with you in a little while. >> good deal. thank you. a new plan in place this morning to rescue dozens of passengers who have been stranded now for a week on a research ship in antarctica. t. martin, good morning. >> reporter: hi, erica, good morning. they tried and failed for a week. ice breakers couldn't cut through the ice 10 feet thick. they called in a chinese helicopter. singing auld lang syne. the russian ship in an icy grip.

winds up to 50 miles per hour packed the ice throw against the ship, trapping it a week ago. but they still have to wait. >> the chinese helicopters will reach us when the weather improves. >> reporter: there's been a blizzard on and off for days. the crew would stay behind to man the ship while all 52 passengers would be helicoptered out. from now they are on permanent stand by. >> reporter: it's really a concept, though of hurry up and wait. >>reporter: earlier fierce winds and thick ice forced an australian ice breaker to be the third to give up. as for the trapped ship, all it takes to free it is a change in the window direction for the ice to push away. but that could take winds. after spending christmas stuck in the ice, it will be one heck of a new year tonight. passengers won't truly celebrate

until they get out safely. erica? >> martin fletcher, thank you. we want to bring in the expedition spokesperson. good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> doing well, thanks. you're joining us from australia on the phone. as i understand it, the weather has been so bad where the ship is even you have not been able to communicate with them. does that concern you at all, the closest helicopter rescue? >> i'm not particularly concerned. they're expecting bad weather and expecting it to pass this time. i imagine when they get their window, it's easy to come out and pick them out. >> how many trips will be made to get everybody off the ship? >> they're talking about 12 people. i think we're looking at four to five. >> four to five trips. you have nearly two dozen crew members who will be staying on board the ship. how long will they be there?

>> that depends on the elements. they will be waiting it out. they usually are stocked almost for the full season down there. they will be waiting for it to pass by and perhaps a change in the wind direction. the big problem they have had is winds have been southeasterly. that created this enormous pack of ice. if we get westerly winds, it could move away. they could sale out under their own steam. >> they are hoping and praying for the westerly winds. the winds could be dangerous for the helicopter. if you can't go by chopper; there a plan c? >> not that i'm aware of. but they do have multiterrain vehicles. they're more liking to wait until there is a good window. i suspect that will be through in the next 24 hours. they've got enough food for all the passengers on board for two weeks. and dried food after that if they need it for another two

weeks. so i don't think it will be an issue. >> thanks for your time this morning. >> not a problem. thank you. matt? >> the u.s. state department is warning americans to be on alert. the president of the international olympic committee says he's confident that russia will deliver a safe and secure games. nbc's jim is in sochi. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, matt. well, no one has claimed responsibility for those blasts. the islamist militant still seems set to carry out the bombings up to the winter olympics to start here in sochi in always more than a month. a security camera captures the moment the train station in volgograd explodes. just one day before monday's bus explosion. 30 killed, 100 wounded and a city of 1 million terrified.

russian president vladimir putin who staked his personal reputation on the games here has ordered a crackdown, putting troops on the streets in volgograd and beefing up security around the country. the u.s. government has responded quickly by offering closer cooperation between the u.s. and russia on security. >> our diplomatic security personnel has been working with the russians for many months on security. they obviously worked with our teams with high level officials. and we provide services to folks who will be traveling there. we are ready to support anyone we can with the security situation. >> a third attack in october, also on a volgograd bus, are believed to have been inspired by this man. he has ordered fighters to the winter games. >> to embarrass and potentially disrupt the olympics that are so

close to the russian state. >> the islamists militants hate putin, which means he turned this one sleepy seaside town of sochi into a fortress. 40,000 patrolling a ring of steel. despite initial reports that the attacks were carried out by a female suicide bomber, police now believe it was a russian male medical student, a graduate who converted to radical islam. matt, back to you. >> jim, thanks so much. scott blackman is the ceo of the u.s. olympic committee. good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> normally, you're a month away, and people are talking about the events, athletes to watch. in the last couple of days i've heard more and more people talking about safety and security and terrorism. the two-time defending medalist

in snowboard, he may skip opening ceremony out of fear of safety. are you hearing that from other athletes? >> you know, there's no question that it has heightened everyone's awareness. i want to express our condolences to the people of russia for this attack. we take the games seriously. each game presents a different challenge for us. the events of the last 48 hours have definitely gotten our attention. >> they have had sworn enemies. the difference this time around is the sworn enemy of russia sits right next door to sochi. that's where their most violent terrorist group sits along with the leader who is called for disruption of these games. are you worried about the proximity? >> we're concerned can. i think this is the first time we have had an incident so close to the games, both in terms of geography and in terms of time. but as i said, the reality is

there are different challenges at every games. in this case we got a preview of what could happen. we're hopeful that the russian's commitment to security, which is one of the highest levels of commitment we have ever seen from a government and organizing committee, will serve us well. the truth is our interests are probably more aligned with russia on this issue than any other. so we have a fairly high degree of confidence that they are super focused on the issue right now. >> if, and i stress if, mr. blackmon, if something terror related does occur in sochi, is there a contingency plan for the u.s. team and the u.s. delegation? >> we have contingency plans at every games. we have plans for injuries and plans for incidence. yes, we always have contingency plans in place. we obviously hope they never come into being. >> in terms of finding a balance here, when you say that the russians are committed to

safety, do you think that he will be able to find the proper balance between staging an athletic competition and creating an armed encampment? >> a few weeks ago we were talking about it was going to be difficult to get in and out of the park. i suspect people will be more tolerant of that today than they would have been two or three weeks ago. >> the scott blackmon, the ceo thank you. we wish you good luck. >> thank you. breaking news tied to that fiery train accident that happened yesterday. good morning. >> erica, that's exactly right. a dangerous situation still unfolding around casselton, north dakota. two dozen people live nearby. they are strongly urging them to

evacuate. so far no reports of injuries. ntsb investigators will be on site today. a heartbreaking legal fight in california where a family has been battle to go keep their daughter on a ventilator. 13-year-old jahi mcmath went into cardiac arrest after a tonsillectomy. she was declared brain dead. the ruling gives the parents a week to find a long-term care facility for their daughter. encouraging signs for formula one racing legend michael schumacher. he suffered a critical head injury skiing to the french alps. doctors say he is improving slightly. good morning, steph doctors have been working around the clock to save one of the best athletes. they warn it is too early to make any speculations. in a press conference this

morning, doctors treating michael schumacher say the racing legend is showing small signs of improvement. >> the ct scan today is better. and the situation, clinical situation is a bit improved compared to yesterday. >> shaw macker underwent a second operation since sustaining brain injuries after a ski accident sunday. he was skiing with his 14-year-old son on sunday in an ungroomed area of the resort when he fell, striking his head on a like. a team of doctors performed immediate brynn surgery upon his arrival at a nearby hospital. schumacher was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, which doctors credit for giving him a chance at survival. the 44-year-old german is the most decorated driver in formula one history, winning a record

seven championships and 91 races in 18 active years. on monday, his family released a statement on his website saying in part, we would like to thank the people from around the world who have expressed their sympathy and sent their best wishes for his recovery. they are giving us great support. in addition to the efforts at the hospital, an investigation is also being conduct at the site of the accident. initial reports are the impact was so severe that it shattered schumacher's helmet. new guidelines for testing for lung cancer which kills almost 160,000 americans a year. the guidelines call for yearly ct scans for people described as high risk. those who smoked a pack a day for 30 years or two packs for 15 years and between the ages of 55 and 80. anyone who has quit smoking within the last 15 years should also be screened. one official says the new

testing may save 20,000 lives a year. a michigan university is out with its annual list of annoying words that, at least many say, should be banned. according to lake superior state university, the words that should be banned include selfie, twerk or twerking, hashtag and mr. mom. over the years the list of annoying words has grown to 800. they have one thing in common. they are all overused. i'm trying to lose the image of miley cyrus twerky. >> i would be okay with banning that one. >> that's matt's screen saver. >> that's my new year's resolution. i'm getting ready of that. another word that should be banned, snowstorm. but dylan says not so fast. >> i wish i could ban that word. it would be a magical thing. we have cold. we have snow. it's all coming in as we finish 2013 and get started on 2014. first, let's focus on the cold.

extremely cold. 27 below in international falls. but it feels like 61 degrees below zero. again, i just don't even know what that feels like. it feels like 18 below in minneapolis. until cold air going to spread eastward, setting the stage for snow by the time we get into thursday and friday in the northeast. but detroit feels like zero with the windchill. 14 in pittsburgh. and in the northeast we've got that cold air in place. temperatures in the teens and 20s. northern new england, it is about 6 to 7 degrees below zero. all eyes of course on times square in new york city. by the time we get to midnight tonight, we are looking for temperatures mostly to be in the upper 20s. it's not brutally cold especially with all the people jammed in there. that will help warm it up a little bit. that's a look across the country. your local forecast coming up in 30 seconds.

>> good morning to you. temperatures are definitely chilly out there to start. we've got a lot of fog out there as well. the south bay actually has reported delays out of san jose airport. east bay and san francisco okay. i want to show you palo alto at 43 degrees right now. lots of fog drifting around so travel cautiously. we're going to climb out of the 30s and 40s into the 60s today. a nice finish to 2013. then tonight when the sun goes down looking good for all of your new year's eve plans. your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan, thank you very much. i want to go back to carson in times square. we were talking about times square on new years eve.

erica says she used to cover the ball drop for another broadcast network. >> i did. it was cold. i feel for you my friend. >> what are you going to wear? >> well, listen, after dylan's report, i think we're good. upper 20s, that sounds all right. >> sounds good for you. >> thanks dylan for the good news. but as the wind starts to whip around the corridor here in times square that upper 20s starts to feel like the teens. it's cold but it's the excitement. there's a million people here. it's going to be a lot of fun despite the weather. a lot going on. we have a big show. also noteworthy, pressing the ceremonial ball today is u.s. supreme court justice. she's from the bronx. take our survey on today.com. are you going out or staying in? let us know what your plans are at #orange room. if you want to watch us on nbc we'd love to help you. it's myself, jane lynch.

we have blake shelton and mariah carey. it's a big night. i think i'll get out of times square and come join you in the warm studio. see you soon. >> we look forward to that. it's the last official ball drop for new york's mayor of 12 years michael bloomberg. congratulations mr. mayor. enjoy your time as well. >> see you in a bit. coming up, colorado is hours from becoming the first state to allow the sale of recreational marijuana. why one critic says that will be a huge disaster. >> and true american heros, just don't call them that. our conversation with four recipients of the medal of honor. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up on trending, a reporter passes out on live television. wait until you see how quickly she recovered. >> it was pretty impressive.

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join for free. weight watchers. your new beginning starts here. good morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the family of 13-year-old jahi mcmath has until next tuesday to move her to another facility. yesterday a judge ordered the oakland girl declared brain dead to be kept on a ventilator until january 7. the family says a facility in new york has agreed to take her and also made arrangements with an air ambulance company to get her there. the family attorney says they will work to get all of the paperwork done before the january 7 deadline. customers who ate at a sandwich shop may have had information stolen. the shop witchcraft was hacked.

someone accessed credit card information of people who dined there. officials say the hackers took names, credit card numbers, security codes and expiration dates. the forecast for this last day of 2013. >> we're getting patchy frost and fog out there this morning. good morning to you. to you at home. temperatures are chilly as well. so make sure you're ready for that. 38 degrees in livermore, 39 in san jose. and we're finding the thickest fog now in the south end of the peninsula and in san jose. visibility here at 3 miles. we'll check on the drive. you see you're not alone out there. later on this afternoon we're going to end up in the mid to upper 60s for most bay area cities. san francisco will be on the cool side at about 61 degrees, then at midnight tonight, nice clear conditions, nice clear shot of those fireworks. 57 degrees at 10:00 p.m. out in san francisco at midnight 55 degrees. as promised here is mike. >> as you said, here is some of that low clouds and fog. look at this, this is falto, 101

as we travel past university avenue. the low clouds above the deck. as they drift down could rise up on the roadway. looking toward san jose, you're not alone but it's not a big deal as far as the flow of traffic so northbound routes are moving smoothly. these low clouds impede your view of smoke that might be visible over at ranch county park where we're following reports of a brush fire. there is the bay bridge toll plaza. >> thank you. i'll have another local update in about a half hour.

it's 7:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 31st day of december, 2013. yeah, it's new year's eve. there's times square where all the action will be tonight. about a million of your closest friends gathered for the ball drop. i'm matt lauer, along with erica hill, dylan dreyer and peter alexander. >> it's quiet there but not for very long. a quick look at what is making headlines. an entire town in north dakota is being urged to evacuate. one was carrying crude oil and is still burning. it could post a health risk.

and the ship trapped if ice on antarctica will be rescued by helicopter but may not happen until tomorrow because of bad weather in the area. auckland, new zealand became the first major city to celebrate with a big fireworks display at 6:00 a.m. eastern time. pretty there. profiles and courage. our conversation with four recipients of the medal of honor. it's the nation's highest military decoration. their heroics while serving and the surprising things they is say they actually fear the most. >> really looking forward to that. history is about to be made in colorado. at the stroke of midnight it will be the first state in the country to allow recreational marijuana sales. gabe gutierrez is in denver this morning. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. we're here at the evergreen apothecary. one of the stores licensed to sell recreational marijuana.

starting tomorrow, 21 and over with a colorado i.d. can buy an ounce of pot. those out of state will be limited to quarter ounce. >> the rules will be different from january 1st on. >> reporter: this morning, anticipation is growing. >> we brought in a staff of people. we have three people that have been rolling joints for two days straight. >> reporter: colorado about to be the first state to allow the sale of recreational marijuana since the federal government banned it in 1937. >> this is one ounce of ak-47. >> reporter: at denver's evergreen apothecary. >> end of prohibition. >> reporter: voters went the extra step in 2012, approving pot just for fun. since then, the state has built the most complex regulations for weed in the world. taxes topping 25%, and strict

rules for growers. >> we will be carding every single person that comes in the door. >> reporter: colorado expects to rake in tens of millions a year in tax revenue, much set aside to build school. >> every transaction in every dispense ear is a federal crime even if the federal government promised at least for now we will not prosecutor. >> reporter: new businesses are popping up like this tour bus and this shop with pot laced food and drink. the airport will keep its own marijuana ban. >> i think it's safer than alcohol. >> i don't like people driving high. >> breath tests won't work but blood tests will. >> we will still be looking for the same signs of impairment. >> reporter: opponents say it will increase trafficking to neighboring states. and still colorado's family-friendly ski resorts with

tourists looking for a different type of rocky mountain high. >> i think it's going to be a huge disaster. i think it's something there will be so much damage done to the children out there that it's going to be very difficult to undo it. >> reporter: voters in washington state also approve recreational marijuana but those sales don't get under way until later in 2014. here they expect long lines to start at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. before i accepted it back to you, i must say i'm not sure i've ever done a live report in a place with such a distinct smell. >> yes. i'm going to leave it at that. >> it's a really good choice on your point. >> thank you. >> a check of the weather now from dylan driver. al is getting ready to host the tournament of roses in pasadena. >> the weather couldn't be more beautiful for him and everything going on out there. we are going to see snow to start the new year. not so much now. we will see it turn into a much

bigger storm as it makes its way to the east coast. we have an area of low pressure that is sitting down through the gulf coast states. that's what we're going to see bring in all that moisture. we also have this area of cold air. that's the arctic air that will combine to make this more of a snowstorm than anything else. you can see this area of low pressure is dragging in the cold. we have the moisture coming in from the south. by the time we get into the afternoon thursday, mostly light snow in and around the northeast many then it turns into a heavier snow thursday, friday morning. and it looks like we could end up with six hey, happy new year's eve to you. a good looking day headed our way. it's pretty cold out there now. we're also dealing with fog. a return of the low clouds especially in san jose. temperature in the 30s and 40s, look at this awesome shot. you can see those thick layered stratus clouds and above high

and mid level clouds. i want to show you a different scenario. mostly clear. through the afternoon temperatures climbing into the 60s. >> all right, dylan, thank you very much. as we reflect on this past year, we pause to remember the sacrifice made by the men and women in the u.s. armed forces. today, there are only 78 living recipients of the nation's highest military honor, the medal of honor. i had the privilege to sit down with four of them. we'll hear from them in a moment, but first their heroic acts taken from the official citations. >> reporter: these medal of honor recipients went above and beyond the call of duty, putting themselves in harm's way to save lives. leroy a.petry staff sergeant u.s. army. afghanistan. from his citation, he unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his safety, picked

up the grenade and threw it away from his fellow rangers. as he was releasing it it detonated amputating his left wrist. it saved his fellow ranger from being severely wounded or killed. ty m. carter, specialist, u.s. army afghanistan. at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, specialist carter awakened to an attack of an estimated 300 enemy fighters and in spite of his own wounds, he ran through a hail of enemy rocket propelled grenade and machine gunfire to rescue a critically wounded soldier. salvatore a.junta. staff sergeant, u.s. army, afghanistan. specialist exposed himself to withering enemy fire. before throwing a grenade. he engaged the enemy before prepping and throwing grenades. he observed two insurgents carrying away an american soldier.

he immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other. jack jacobs, first lieutenant, u.s. army, republic of vietnam. despite profuse bleeding from his head wounds which impaired his vision, captain jacobs returned under intense fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor to safety. his gallant actions and extraordinarily herrism saved the lives of one u.s. advisor and 13 allied soldiers. by his gallantry and bravery in action in the highest tradition of military service, has reflected great credit upon himself, his unit, and the u.s. army. so what is it like to receive the nation's highest military honor? >> it feels awkward that it would be around my neck. i'm just one of the boys. one of the guys. >> our candid and eye opening conversation with these four remarkable men, right after this. [ female announcer ] when it comes to your smile,

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to point down his weapon. [ tuff ] it's gonna be alright sweetheart. i just want you to know that i love you though okay? we all go through something in life. ♪ just wanna see you ♪ just wanna see you ♪ i wanna see you be brave ♪ i just wanna see you ♪ i just wanna see you ♪ i wanna see you be brave ♪ a conversation with some of the bravest men i've met. all recipients of the medal of honor. they each served in afghanistan and colonel jack jacobs who served in vietnam and who is now a military analyst for nbc news. let's start with you sergeant. you know, i'm looking at you in your uniform and i'm looking at the medal of honor around your neck. when you look in the mirror and

you see that medal around your neck, what do you think of? >> i think of all the service members, all of those that have served and continued to serve and those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. >> he's not mentioning himself, sergeant. is that the same feeling you get when you see the medal around your neck? >> it is. when i look in the mirror and see the medal around my neck, it's almost embarrassing. i know what it takes for this medal and it is selfless service and it's others in front of yourself and when i put it on, it feels awkward. >> is there never a time when you can look at this and just say, you know what, i did something in a moment in time that was extraordinary. i went above and beyond the call of duty. >> no, you can't. i mean, i was decorated 45 years ago and you still can't do that. because you wear it not for yourself but for all of those that can't. you represent tens of millions of american men and women who

sacrificed, who served so that we could enjoy freedom. whenever i put it on, i still can't help thinking about everybody else. there's no time limit on that. >> do you think when someone sees you with that medal around your neck that there is a misconception they have about what it took to be awarded it? >> there is. a lot of individuals who don't really know what the medal represents or what it is, they think that who ever wears it is kind of like a super hero but on a really bad day where everything went wrong, you followed your instincts and you did what you thought was right and for us, i believe that we had the fortune and misfortune of surviving when a lot of our brothers did not. >> i've read extensively about what you all did on that day that everything went wrong. so raise your hands if you were afraid that day. >> you know, i think that will surprise people. they don't think you could have

possibly been afraid to do what you did. >> it's not really a question of fear. if you don't feel fear then you don't really care about anything. there is fear there but you're choosing to ignore it because watching somebody suffer, watching somebody die is far worse than the danger itself. >> outside of battle, what makes you afraid today? >> my biggest fear is with my daughter. i have a 25 month old daughter. i received all of the rights, privileges and benefits to come along with that and i want her to have the same and i fear that she won't. >> so this medal of honor winner is telling me that nothing compares to the fear, nothing compares to the fear you have as a parent. >> my daughter is the most special thing in the world to me. one of the most awesome things i've ever done in my life. it's not about this medal. this medal i earned with 17 other guys and it's no more mine than it is theirs.

>> wait until her teenage years. >> scary. >> start saving money now. >> sergeant? >> i'm still active duty. i feel that i will fail as a husband or i'll fail as a father. so every time i leave the house or every time my daughter gets up and starts walking, i fear i won't be there to catch her when she falls. >> sergeant, you look at that medal around your neck and i know your son, landon, had something to say about it one time that impressed you. >> it's still one of my favorite things he's done in his life. they asked him, how do you feel about your father receiving the award, being at the white house and meeting the president? he took a breath in and he said, you know, i'm really proud of my dad for what he has done shs but i'm more happy that he saved some of his guys and they're still alive today. that made me the most proudest father probably in the planet that moment still today. >> during the holiday season people are going to travel and go to airports and you'll see members of the military getting off and getting on planes in

uniform. what should we say to those people when we see them? what would you like people to walk up to you and say? >> i think thank you. i tell a lot of people that's one of the greatest rewards aer is ves member can get is a simple thanks. >> we don't fight because we hate what's in front of us. we fight because we love what's at home. >> let me end this by acting on the advice of four great men and i'll simply end by saying thank you to all of you. >> you're welcome. >> very welcome. >> i appreciate your support, sir. >> they are four great men and there's a lot of others that unfortunately don't get the honor they got who sacrificed an awful lot. >> it is amazing the power of those two words. the words thank you when you see a service member. >> and one that said we don't fight because we hate what's in front of us but we fight because we love what's at home. to see in their eyes the love they have for their families back here, we're grateful

they're here to enjoy those moments. >> it's an extraordinary experience. >> coming up on trending, what would you do, talk about a priceless reaction to the biggest prize in price is right history. and carson is back in the orange room with how you're planning to ring in the new year. that's right after this. ♪ i feel like dancing and singing ♪ ♪ and leaping ♪ and flying through the air. ♪ i feel that music and magic ♪ and sunshine and color everywhere. ♪ ♪ i'm gonna seize the day ♪ i tell ya alive multi-vitamins. made with 26 fruits and vegetables, plus high-potency b-vitamins for energy. ♪ it's so good to be alive! ♪ maybe i'm wrong

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so that's interesting. if you do want to come to new york but you don't want to be out there in times square pinned in like cattle, these are the times square location, bubba gump, $679. applebee's, $375, these are alcohol included. so there's deals here at some of your favorite spots. happy new years everybody. >> i'll stay in and watch you. >> when you do the show and you look down at the people, do you say you're all pinned in like cattle? >> yes, i do and they go moo. >> that's how you create that bond. your guys are cows. nice to meet you. >> carson, thanks. up next, a reporter that didn't let passing out live on tv stop her from finishing her interview. >> are you looking for true ♪ ♪

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a very good morning to you. 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. cal fire dealing with a 40-acre brush fire east of san jose and they think it may have been arson. the chp says two cars were vandalize and possibly set on fire which started the fire. quimbee road is closed. we'll check the forecast now. meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you. happy new year's eve to you. i want to show you a foggy sky over san jose. plenty of high and mid level clouds to kick off this new year's eve. san francisco shows you the same thing, we have low clouds and we do have flight delays at this point out of sfo and san jose international so check ahead if you are heading out for the holiday. we're looking pretty good, as we head throughout the day, temperatures are going to climb, we'll be rid of all of the fog as we head throughout the next couple hours, by noon in fact,

mostly clear, i want to point out your visibilities are dropping off in the north bay. you have a quarter mile from novato to san franciscoment in san jose, yes, .06 mile, that's over 300 feet. you want to travel cautiously. we're looking good to hit the 60s for today. a nice looking day. nice night as well. it will be cold. clear for the fireworks in san francisco. let's check your drive. >> stick with me, we're talking about the fire laura told you there. there is traffic control in the area. quimbee road and mt. hamilton. live at the north bay, a smooth drive. look how light the volume s. low clouds clearing over the last 10 minutes. it was gray. clouds move quickly through the area. foster city the approach tough to see. those clouds continue to burn away. a little bit of an issue off of the high rise. no problems for the light traffic volume. here is fremont in the south bay. no problems all the way from oakland. >> thank you. i'll be back with another local update in about a half hour.

we're back now at 8:00 on a tuesday morning, the 31st day of december, 2013. 8:00 here in new york city. it is new year down in sidney, australia where a massive fireworks display is underway. that is good stuff. that is only a portion of what carson is promising tonight. t host gets to go home soon. >> that's a beautiful live shot, though. >> make sure you do it live from sydney next year.

>> we are back here on the plaza. still a while to go in new york city. i'm matt lauer along with erica hill. dylan dreyer is here. >> you're in for al. >> you want to be in? >> whatever you want. >> you got stuck with the rest of us. >> i'm happy to be here with you guys. it's fun. >> the good news about it not being quite new year's is there is time to plan. there are fun interesting things to do tonight. we have just the thing for you. >> kathie lee and hoda hosting a primetime. it all leads up to this young man here ushering. >> i just saw my cohost jane

lynch. blake shelton will be on and mariah carey and these folks i convinced to come down. >> if they go down can you get them special standing area? >> we have a hot zone. i can hook them up a little bit. >> perfect. i bet you have a hot zone. >> don't tell anybody. >> on that note why don't we run inside for a check of the top stories. peter alexander has the stories. more than half of a small north dakota town was evacuated after a train hauling crude oil derailed and a number of cars caught fire and exploded. officials planned to let the oil burn off but fear shifting winds could blow a plume of smoke over the town. they are urging anyone in there to leave. thousands of military troops and police officers flooded the russian city of volegrad where

suicide bombers have raised fears. the international olympic committee has assured the games will be safe. investigators believe the attacks were inspired by a chechen war lord who urged to disrupt the games by targeting civilians. the faa has chosen sites in six states for testing of unmanned drone aircraft. officials say the choices ethical issues.

a little girl rescued from a well in georgia on monday is hospitalized this morning with broken bones and other injuries. officials say the 7 year old was playing outside her grandmother's house near atlanta when she fell through a cracked

covering on the dry. she she was trapped upside down 50 feet down for more than an hour before rescuers could lift her out. a rumbling volcano has officials in indonesia preparing for the worst case scenario. they ordered everyone living within three miles to evacuate. the volcano had been dormant for centuries. it was spewing dust. prince william becomes a full-time college student next week. kensington palace announced that william will take a ten-week course in agricultural management. he'll learn about issues facing the farming communities and how to run the family estates he'll inherit. the course work includes lectures, essay writing and field trips. 8:06. back to dylan. i dare that professor to give the future king anything less

than an "a." that's all i'm saying. >> i totally agree, peter. we are looking at chilly temperatures but let's head on down to south carolina for the pick city of the day. happy anniversary. it's the 60th anniversary of our affiliate down in greenville, south carolina. and they went on air just before midnight on new year's eve. that's awesome. we are looking at pretty clear conditions down there today. although we will see some rain move in by thursday. it's cold. it's extremely cold. well, the fog factor is back this morning.fo8 good morning to you. new year's eve looking good across the bay area. once we get rid of the low clouds, this is san jose. low clouds still linger here until about 10:00, maybe 10:30. there will be midlevel clouds throughout date, and temperatures will be down right comfortable.

64. there will be fireworks tonight. >> aun sigues con eso. >> it's like a hot zone. >> with the girls dancing. >> we have it all. >> yeah, let it go. >> carson, he'll be here on new year's eve. it's over. why new york's next mayor says he's going to ban a new york city institution. then carson and his co-hosts for the evening jane lynch get set for the biggest new year's eve party over in times square. >> that's fun. can paula deen bounce back? will sharknado 2 repeat the buzz of the original? plus the top pop culture standouts of 2013, but first, these messages. look, dad! a blowfish!

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we're back now at 8:13. what's trending today, how about this for the group to consider. a new survey is ranking some of the tools that could go the way of the cassette tape in 2014. in other words, bye-bye and it's all because of smartphones. all right? how about this one. 's been a must have gadge its for weary morning show hosts,

and will it be extinct next year? we're talking attack ala -- abo the alarm clock. >> yeah. >> actually, they're saying because of smartphones, people use those as their alarm clocks these days. but this little guy right here could go away. aside from that, some of the other items that could go bye-bye, the dvd player. >> how about that? >> because so many people have netflix. wristwatches. i don't believe in this one. i think that's more of a kind of an accessory than a tool. >> it is. i think it will stick around. >> it's been dead for a year. >> a year? >> 4:25. >> really? >> we'll get back to that. >> how about the blackberry? >> peter alexander. >> how about us? >> still using them. >> one of my two alarms. >> the tv remote control because it's lost its importance because smartphones and tablets can now control your television set. >> my batteries dead in our tv remote. so we downloaded an app -- >> what world do you live in, dylan? is anything plugged in?

>> downloaded the app? >> yes. so we can use our cell phone which is always charged. >> watch the tv both flashing midnight. >> and you have a vcr? >> we do. >> just to clarify. >> okay. if you're planning a trip to new york, you may want to get her soon because one institution can ride into the sunset. the city's -- the mayor elect, he'll be the new mayor as of 12:01, bill de blasio says he plans to do away with the horse drawn carriages. >> they're not humane or appropriate to the year 2014. it's over. >> animal rights advocates are cheering the announcement. carriage drivers are vowing to fight back. one said he was ready for a long battle. de blasio says he wants to replace them with alternatives. perhaps an antique style car to which one responded -- just what manhattan needs, more cars. >> actually, we were going to

show you a live shot, but they're not allowed on the street in temperatures that dip below a certain degree. >> so they're not there. >> right. >> but it will be a big battle. although the mayor said he'll prevail. we know the perils of live television. craziest thing, any fun -- carson, worst, thing on live television? >> at trl we had the glass window, we had one glass star who tried to jump through it. threw himself into the glass window. yeah. >> like a cartoon. >> i dropped the s-bomb on tv one time. >> oh, interesting. >> by accident. >> no, on purpose. >> erica? >> too many to count. no, i can't come up with a good one off the top of my head. >> my favorite in spokane, washington, i was covering a helicopter that crashed. i said a deer, mook and else

instead of a deer, moose and elk. >> reason for the survey? >> so one reporter handled a disaster like a real pro. brooke graham was doing a report on cross country skiing when this happened. >> i'm here with richard and tee tee from utah. you guys are teaching me how to cross country ski. so give us some -- >> whoa! >> okay. >> okay? >> yes. i'm going to toss it back to you guys. i slipped and fell. so we'll have more. tell people the basics of coming up here and paying $7 -- >> i didn't see -- >> did she black out? >> she passed out. >> passed out? >> she just crushed it after that. >> she did. she went on to the next three minutes. brooke is absolutely fine. it took her nine seconds to recover. she continued on her report and she explained in her blog she

often faints in cold weather at high altitude. she's a great sport. if it makes you giggle don't feel bad. >> not the perfect reporter for park city, utah. >> exactly. >> send her to phoenix next time. >> she goes on for three more minutes. >> that's crazy. >> carries on an interview. >> she said she looked up, saw the camera and continued to keep talking. >> roll like that. >> i did that in college. >> that video is the whole thing. >> in the hot zone. >> people in time square will be doing that in a little bit this is about -- three words will make a game show contestant go wild. they are come on down. a mom from tacoma, washington, is proving that this morning. she just won the biggest prize in daytime "price is right" history. >> i'm so nervous. >> i am too. >> come on. $1,000 at stake.

you got it! >> that is sherry heil. she won the black convertible valued at $157,000. and case she needs gas money she won $10,000 as well as prada shoes. her whole all the $177,000. >> that's impressive. very nice. >> yeah. >> and a girl named tiffany from your college days is on the line. [ laughter ] >> i don't know. >> and that is what's trending today. as we mentioned this guy right here, doing the iron man thing today. because he's on the show this morning and tonight he'll be at the new year's celebrations here on nbc. getting some help this year from jane lynch. good morning. happy new year to you. >> happy new year to all of you. >> how did they talk you into this? >> easy, easy. he's great. we have a lot of fun and i'm really looking forward to it. i have never done new year's eve in times square so this will be a first. >> that's how you get them. never been there. >> right. >> he's done it 16 times, it's so much fun, so great.

that's the way to do it. what did you call it? the cattle pen? >> no. we have a nice spot. >> we have a heater. >> you have a heater and hand warmers. >> i hear -- you'll be fine. >> we had a rehearsal last night, with music from blake shelton and mariah carey. what did that feel like you? >> first of all, it was freezing because we didn't have the heat going. but it was fun. we had anthony anderson with us and natasha lagero. it will be fun. >> anything on the plate for 2014? >> you know what i'll do in 2014 every day i wake up i'm not going to start a diet. i do it every day. i realize for the last 40 years i wake up in morning and i go, okay, i won't have any carbs in the morning. i'll have -- i won't do it anymore and see if i balloon. see what happens. >> might be easier to stick to. >> i think this is a good nondiet. >> i might get behind that one. >> in keeping with your other job, this hollywood game night

host we have a quiz for you guys. >> all right. good. >> you're involved in this too. look alert. here we go. name performers on tonight show. >> blake shelton, mariah carey. >> many sing the traditional scottish song auld lang sine? >> i'm drunk. >> old long ago. >> what year was the first ever new year's eve celebration in times casquare? >> 1904. >> wow. >> the new year's ball came about as a result as a ban on fireworks. what year did the first ball drop? >> 1916. >> i'm sorry. 1907. 1907. >> and the how much does it weigh? >> oh, my goodness. tons. >> i don't know.

>> 2 tons. >> tons is correct. well, tons, multiple. 11,875 pounds. >> how much is a ton? >> how many elephants is that? >> hey, we don't want you to freeze so we have a gift basket for you. things to keep you warm. >> you're going to need this. because you have that thin coat. we were talking about how we have to change. look at this. this is nice. >> dylan said it would be in the upper 20s and i said that's good news. >> i'm from chicago, i should deal with this. >> we'll say good-bye to a lot of bad trends in 2013. >> indeed. >> stay out of carson's hot zone, all right? >> i'll do my best. >> good luck tonight. have fun, guys. >> thank you so much. >> you can watch new year's eve with carson daly and jane. >> of course it's happy time, but if you're having a tough time finding true happiness,

help may be a mouse click away. nbc's kristen walker has more on that. >> hey, good morning to you. a lot of people turn to traditional theory for help after the holidays and really any time of year. but we spoke to some folks who say they found happiness just by going online. around this time, six years ago, david byers made a resolution to change his life. >> something wasn't right inside of me. >> his search took him to his computer. >> i googled the word happiness. >> he found a website pathway to happiness.com. it's like online therapy. offering pod casts, even audio and phone sessions all aimed at helping people like byers get their life back on track. >> working with pathway to happiness has changed my life. i'm going to be happy for me without -- then the relationship is going to work. because now i have something to

give and something to truly offer. >> this is the man behind pathway to happiness.com. he says his website gets a million hits a year with a 20% uptick just after the holidays. and many people find him just by googling the word happiness. >> there's a lot of stress in the holidays that then people really feel and say, i want to do something about this. it's a stress with being family, the dynamics, like you said, being alone. >> not a licensed therapist gary said he's more like a life coach. >> while there's a similarity with therapists of we're trying to get to the same outcome. trying to get people out of emotional drama. out of the unhappiness in their life and into the happy, healthy emotional state. >> people are turning to the internet for therapy and online therapy can be just as effective as conventional face to face treatment. michael payne is a licensed clinical social worker. >> i see the internet as a resource. both traditional psychotherapy

and internet therapy require a lot of work. if you really can benefit from it. >> feeling depressed, this woman turned to the internet for help. >> i think i googled finding happiness. >> she was skeptical at first, but gave pathway to happiness a chance. >> i feel what it did was increased a lot of self-awareness. and induced a sense of mindfulness. and helpfulness behind speech and action and also reaction. so i feel -- i would say i'm happier. yeah. >> a search for happiness. found in an unlikely place. >> now, gary the life coach says people should manage their expectations during the holidays and enjoy the small things and don't expect what you will feel elated in every single moment. gary acknowledges online therapy is not right for everyone.

the important thing is to find the right fit for you. erica and matt, back to you. happy new year. >> thanks. good morning to you. we have video just into our newsroom. fire crews are fighting a 40 acre brush fire east of san jose in santa clara county. the fire is still burning, and it has the foeshl to burn 200 acres. it's burning mere fwrant county park. the chp says two$' cars were vandalized. it could cause the fire to spread very quickly. so far no evacuations have been ordered, but that is brand new video just into our newsroom. right now i want to check in with mike. >> 6ñ as a result of]/> that fi quimby road is closed down. this is good distance away from highway 101.

the smoke might be throughout the bay area. over here the bay bridge tollw! plaza has had no backup all morning. look for it to start building in a couple of hours.n"fñ it's close to 11:00. we'll see that crowd start to head in to san francisco. the peninsula, we have the sun really cutting through the haze there, and that could be an issue. bring those sunglasses. back to you. >> thank you very much. another local news update in half hour. hope to see you then. happy new year's eve.

it's 8:30 on this new years eve and coming up the stand outs of 2013. the people that made the biggest impact on pop culture over the past year. plus, go usa. how our athletes want you to cheer them on to gold at the winter olympics. and hopes and dreams. what kids are wishing for in 2014. >> my goal is to hug my mommy.

jenna bush-hager's hilarious and adorable chat with a group of 5-year-olds. today, tuesday, december 31st, 2013. >> happy new year. >> utah loves the "today" show. >> it's my birthday. >> happy new year from ohio. hey camera. >> have a happy new year. >> celebrating our one year anniversary on the "today" show. >> happy new year. >> it's 8:30 on this tuesday morning. new year's eve day here and out on the plaza we have gathered like four popsicles once again. they have been out here since the we hours of the morning. thanks guys. good to have you here. happy new year to all of you. >> happy new year. we talked about pop culture.

i'm going to put you on the spot. you know pop culture and pop music. we'll be talking about miley cyrus in 2014? >> not like we just spoke about her. she needs to go away really and reinvent herself. >> tell us what you really think. >> no but not to the degree we did. >> i trust you. you've watched this happen over the course of a lot of years. just because we spoke about somebody like miley so much in that year is not always a great thing. in her case it works out because she is incredibly talented. she doesn't need to be naked. she's a great singer and that's a great song but her next album will be interesting in the new year. >> looking forward to it. >> no, that's all good. >> dylan has a little something for us. so a last check of the weather. >> i don't have a croissant although i could kill for one right now. >> come back when you do have one. come back later.

>> chilly temperatures across the northeast today and also snow developing through part of the northern plains and upper midwest, especially in chicago later on tonight. we will start to see some of that snow. it is going to be chilly here in the northeast but not as cold as in other parts of the country. clear skies. temperatures around 27 degrees. but it's the wind chill, 15 to 19 degrees and more snow happy new year's eve to you. into the mid 60s. we still have plenty of fog in san jose.aá$ san francisco at this point throughout the day, all of this should be burning off by about lunchtime. that's going to leave us with comfortable conditions to ring in the new year. 60s for today. 68 degrees in the east bay. san francisco is at 61. 64 in the north bay, and tonight when the sun goes down, temperatures will be cold, but not too bad. 52 in san francisco. that is your latest forecast. now we're going to head on down

to willard scott in larson, d.c. >> i love beautiful people with beautiful talents. birthday buddies today with that. carmen. how about that. she is from staten island, new york. 100 years old today. cooks for everybody. cooks for her friends, cooks for family. she will even cook for me, she said. how about that? here's big joe colgan from wyoming, illinois. i've never been to that town but i hope to some day. 100 years old today big joe is and he worked for john deere for years. good company. very good company. they have done a lot of good things over the years. riva allison and she is from gra granby, connecticut. and she says her secret to longevity is something we know nothing about here at nbc. a clear conscious. happy birthday to you.

god love you. raoul arroyo. he is from tucker, georgia. 100 years old today. gent gentleman and a scholar. he is a civil engineer. you can imagine he is smart as a whip. >> nancy young. phoenix, arizona. love phoenix. a lot of good restaurants there. she is 100 years old today and she is great at organizing church activities. that's one of her things in life. and if you'll take a look, we have a handsome man, kenneth labuhn, handsome fellow from warren, michigan. 100 years old today. secret to longevity is easy. florida grapefruit all the time. good diet too. i hope you like grapefruit. new york likes grapefruit. they love all good things. now back to them. >> willard, thank you very much. we'll tell you that story in a second. now to our countdown to sochi. the first events are 37 days away and we asked members of

team usa to show us how their family members and friends will be cheering them on. >> [ cheering ] >> there's a mix of like -- [ cheering ] >> yeah! >> go for it! >> my sister has all the yells like go gracie! >> my dad is just going crazy like. [ screaming ] >> my dad is out of his mind. good to see you guys out here. you all just did so good. you just had a good day. >> my mom does this, this is her signature move. [ screaming ] >> my mom is -- oh, she does that whether i crash or win. >> my mom is like not watching like that. >> my mom just kind of frantic. i love you. >> this is how the today anchors

should cheer. >> oh my god. that was amazing! . good job! >> sorry, go ahead. >> you actually came out with croissants. >> i came back with croissants. >> if you mention something enough time you get croissants. >> here you go guys. >> i love the new corvette. >> as we prepare to eat these, we thank dylan and we tl you that we'll be in sochi to root on our athletes. it begins february 6th with a primetime event here on nbc. >> up next from oscar winners to paula deen, miley's wrecking ball, the 13 pop culture stand outs of 2013. >> and an interesting look at new years from jenna bush-hager. >> how late do people stay up? >> maybe 8:30. >> 8:30? do you get to stay up until 8:30 p.m. on new years? >> no. >> we'll have that but first this is "today" on nbc.

all right. it's now 8:39. we're back with 13 stand out moments in pop culture for 2013. here to take us through them vulture.com contributor, julie. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> we get to see this stuff. >> exactly. >> let's start with someone, love her, hate her, it doesn't matter. everyone talked about miley cyrus in 2013. >> who? i'm sorry, miley cyrus. >> why did she have so much attention? >> she had a stand out moment at the vmas this year. she twerked. she took her clothes off. everybody is still talking about her. she seems to have a good group of people around her influencing her and she is incredibly famous. >> do you think we'll be talking about her new year's eve 2014? >> i think if we had she has to figure out something besides shock value. we have already seen her naked

and you look at lady gaga who could show up in a meat dress now and nobody would look at it. >> she can figure that out then. >> we're also looking at music, justin timberlake, best selling album of the year. beyonce to close out the year. what did she sell? over half a million of that album in three days. >> yeah and in the middle of the night. he released the record thursday at midnight with no notice what so ever. people freaked out. she crashed itunes and it goes to show in the age of social media, you don't need a publicist if you're beyonce. >> let's talk about three other things we talked about in the year. there was the harlem shake. we even got involved with that around here. >> i'm sorry. >> kcronuts. so are we. everybody talked about selfies. >> yeah. selfies are the short hand manifestation of narcissism on the internet.

you can't get more direct than a photo of your face. and the other benefit of it to people that are perhaps self-absorbed is you can get a photo of yourself but you control how you look and that's like crack cocaine to certain people. >> never heard it described that way. >> notable personalities from 2013, jennifer lawrence had a great year. of course winning an oscar, two big movie releases. perhaps a year that paula deen might rather forget. >> yes. >> but looking into 201, can she make a comeback. >> let's ask the guy from duck dynasty. he is doing well on the rebound. what happened with paula deen is she was dropped by three companies this year. she had a terrible scandal she had to recover from but her fans were still with her. her cookbook became a best seller. america loves a second act and we'll see what this year brings for her. but you're right. >> a royal baby overseas and then we had a royal baby here in kim and kanye's baby northwest.

why stand out? >> north west is first of all, a very cute baby and second of all you're dealing with a child that was so anticipated from two huge super stars. two months after she was born, kris jenner showed photos and two months after that kim kardashian did us the favor of showing us what she looks like in a swim suit. she still looks fantastic. >> unexpected losses during the year as well. what stands out to you? >> we lost james gandolfini this year and paul walker and cory monteith who received a heartfelt good-bye on glee. these were people taken to us that were beloved and before their time. it was something that everybody felt in a very emotional way, these are beloved celebrities. >> they are and her tweet about that is one of the most retweeted tweets of the year. we said good-bye to tv shows and we also started binge watching. what was the biggest show we

binge watch? >> house of cards and orange is the new black. but beyond netflix, binge watching was something you could do even if you weren't lazy or clinically depressed. you could hang out on the weekend and catch up on every episode of the show you might have missed. >> thank you. >> happy new year. >> up next, not new year's eve without party food. we'll round out your menu with quick and easy appetizers in our kitchen. but first, this is "today" on

we are back now at 8:46 with today's holiday kitchen. this morning, interesting snacks that you can prepare today for tonight's new year's eve bash. chefs and brothers are the authors of the best cookbook ever. good morning, that's a lofty claim. >> indeed, yeah. >> i like it. >> go big or go home. >> i like it. >> do you like new year's eve.

>> yeah. >> love it. >> yeah. >> you love snacks? >> totally. >> we're going to make snacks. we're going to split up here. >> we're going to make, what? pretzel bites? >> we're going to start rolling out the dough. basically you're going to work the dough and get it a little bit rolled out so it's about an inch wide. yours is ready to go. we have the water boiling right there. if you want to chop it into inch long pieces. >> they sell these in stores. >> they do. >> way more fun, though. >> these are way better. your guests are going to like them a lot more. >> okay. >> once you've got them basically that size, we're going to move over this way. >> baking soda in the water. >> why don't you do that? >> gives it the nice brown color you see over there so it helps with that. >> we just throw them right in. >> how long do they cook? >> about 30 seconds. >> put everything together. >> yeah. fish them out of the water and put them on a baking sheet and just hit them with a little bit of sea salt and then you pop them in the oven and bake them for about ten minutes.

>> what do you like to serve them with? >> it's a honey mustard dipping sauce. >> i'm standing here. i got the better end of the equation. >> you got to do it. >> the thing is that they're really easy to make and they're a lot better than the store bought version and when they come out of the oven they smell good. >> homemade pretzels. it's impressive. i'll take it. >> what else are you making? >> we'll move back here. deep fried pb and j sandwiches. >> this is no joke. >> we have sliced walnut raisin bread here. >> okay. >> we'll each take a piece and take a knife here and make pb and j. >> everybody has had a peanut butter and yelly sandwich but nobody had one deep fried before. >> i haven't. i can double dip? >> yeah. >> it's okay on new years eve. do you have to be okay that you don't overfill these babies. >> yeah but sometimes it's okay if they explode. >> those are fried bananas? >> yeah, banana chips in there. >> this is a very health

conscious dish. >> it looks that way. >> dip it in the batter. it's going to get messy. >> what's in the batter? >> it's got vanilla, flour, milk and baking powder. >> that's going to get fried up nicely. this is a fun thing to do with your friends. make sure you're watching the oil at all times. >> this is before you had too many cocktails. >> exactly. you'll get a nice brown color on them and when you pull them out they look like that. >> now have the better position. >> yes, you do. >> and white chocolate. >> yeah. >> okay. >> and. >> i think the speechless he action may say it all. >> he likes it. >> that's the best deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich i have ever had. >> you're a connoisseur. >> you know you're having a party and you want to have a will the of variety.

we have a vegetarian option here. it's thin meat. pound it out and roll it up with pistachios and put it in the oven. >> good for your party for just a snack. >> we'll take these home with us. thank you for doing all the work. >> guys, happy new year. best cookbook ever, you can find these recipes and more on today.com. >> up next, jenna bush-hager on a kid's perspective of what it means to ring in the new year, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

it's 8:51 on new year's eve and we're back. as we enter the final hours of 2013 we're going to reflect on the year gone by and make resolutions for the year to come. >> today jenna bush-hager gathered together a special group to weigh in on the big event. >> reporter: they may be small, but they're powerful, creative. >> it's fireworks. >> well, hello, draw it. >> reporter: and they have big ideas. meet my team of tiny experts. >> jason. >> eli. >> steven. >> vanessa. >> lucy. >> reporter: we sat down for a descent meaningful conversation about the important stuff. >> tell me what you think people do on new year's eve.

>> they dance. >> fireworks. >> fireworks. >> 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. >> they count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. >> and then fireworks. >> how late do people stay up. >> maybe 8:30. >> 8:30? do you get to stay up until 8:30 p.m. on new years? >> no. >> how late do you get to stay up to? >> midnight. >> you get to stay up until midnight on new years? is that true? what do you do until midnight. >> well, i don't stay up until midnight. >> so that was just a joke? >> yeah. >> in 2013, did you learn how to tie your shoe. >> i don't know how. i'm just trying. >> let's see if she can teach herself how to tie her shoe in the year of to 2013. >> ready, one, two -- >> oh yeah. now i know how. >> now you know how. your goal is complete.

high five, missy. >> does anybody know what a resolution is? it's a goal. what is your goal, my man? >> my goal is to watch a video. >> which video? >> lego video. i'm thinking you can do it. >> playing the piano. >> are you a good piano player? are you going to be a good piano player? no. good, realistic expectations. >> my goal is to hug my mommy. >> good. >> on new year's, it's a tradition to give somebody a kiss at the stroke of midnight. what do you think about that? >> no. >> you look very concerned. what do you think? >> no. >> you're not going to kiss anybody? >> no. >> who are you going to kiss? >> mommy and daddy. >> of course. you're going to kiss your mommy

and daddy. >> kiss my mommy and daddy and my sister. >> no one. >> but for this group, at year's end, the simplist ideas are the best. >> 1, 2, 3, hug. >> jenna. >> we're about to usher in the new year with carson and jane and all of those folks. have you ever done the times square thing. >> no, i've always been performing on broadway so i come out just at the end of it. >> me too. i've always been performing on broadway. it's hard with the crowd. >> are you taking a break, willie? >> yeah. i took the one man show off broadway. >> well, if you're coming to new year's eve in times square, the one word of warning carson that there are no restrooms. people like to partake in

libation. so juggle that strategically. >> think about what your needs will be later on. >> people wear depends. >> they do. >> they do. >> they're already out there. >> all day. >> yeah. >> they're actually handing them out just so you're ready. >> that would be a good thing. >> yeah. >> so on that note, join people rushing to get everything ready for new year's eve celebrations. on the waterfront in san francisco crews are busy on two barges preparing for a fireworks show. 200,000 people expected to watch that 15 minuteiñ show. it's happening at the stroke of midnight. i think the weather is going to cooperate as well. right? >> it really is. a lot of people are seeing the low clouds, the fog out there

this morning. i'm happy to report we're going to really see a lot of improvement. a clearing sky throughout the day. do watch out. still only a half a mile visibility available to you from san francisco all the way up north through nevada, and we're also watching deep pockets still kind of swirling around the south bay. as we head throughout the day today, this will continue to clear. hope you have a great one.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today's take" with al roker, natalie morales and willie geist live from rock p rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on december 31st, 2013. there is a look at times square. it will be the scene of chaos. i'm willie geist. brooke shields is back with me. al and natalie taking the day off. the times square square. i have never done it growing up around here. i'm a weak man.

>> i got stuck in it one. i was working and could not do anything about it. >> carson daly is hosting as the ball drops. he was talking about depends. people are already there. they will be there for 20 hours. you are not allowed to leave and go to the bathroom. >> the ball just kind of slides down. i was expected it to explode or something. it doesn't. >> she wants explosions. carson, try something out. >> can you get something working for me? thank you. >> you are not in times square? >> i am not. i'm having dinner at friends house. we are eating food and champagne. we're spending the night. >> we are, too. the challenge when you have kids, the challenge is to make it to midnight. when did that happen? it used to be the sun is coming up. it's 1998. let's do this.

>> the party where they have breakfast and you can't wait. i can't believe it's over. i have to keep my eyes opened. my kids now, are starting to want to try to stay up. >> right, right. >> they want to be part of it, too. that is fun. >> that's the battle. my daughter, lucy, is 6, she was 5 last year. she wants to stay up to midnight. we were hoping she wouldn't. she stayed up. from 10:00 to 12:00, she was cry talking. i'm staying awake until midnight. i am going to stay awake. >> i did the same thing. >> she made it to 12:01. the point is, you can't let your 6-year-old beat you to midnight. >> give them a lot of coffee. >> give them a lot of coffee. >> and call child services. >> we have ideas for new year's eve. watch movies. more than 80 movies and handful of tv shows, this is troubling, including "titanic" "top gun"

and "roman holiday" will not be available through netflix. the licensing deal runs out at midnight. you have to sit there and watch "top gun" four times today. >> i believe one of my films is still available on netflix. >> is it? >> "muppets take manhattan." >> that is a good movie. you are always mocking yourself. >> miss piggy was not happy she had to work with me. she gave me 'tude. your kids would like the movie. >> they have seen it. >> thank you. >> i'm going with cruise and kelly mcgillis. "top gun" send it off into the netflix sunset. you can watch tv.

president obama is vacationing in hawaii. he is bingeing on "breaking bad." >> i wonder if it is his second watch. i watched it on time. i loved waiting for it the next week. i did not want to do a binge thing. i re-binge on it. >> you go back in? >> i go back for "breaking bad." >> for me, it is daunting. you missed the whole thing. everyone talked about it and celebrated it. go back to the beginning. same thing with "the wire." >> i have a hard time going back. >> it is hard to go back and start at the beginning. >> unless you really loved it. if i haven't seen it, i can't go back. >> this is so good. you will watch "top gun" or "breaking bad" or buy a car. why not? >> today is evidently, the best day ever to buy a car. they have to get rid of the inventory. you can go and spend your new

year's eve negotiating a price down to get a vehicle. >> right. knowing full well they have to get rid of it. >> i know you have to get rid of it. >> you are giving them away. >> really? come on. a little bit more. >> here is something else you want to do. tune in to nbc. kathie lee and hoda in primetime on new year's eve. a toast to 2013 at 8:00 p.m./7:00 central. you have seen them at 10:00 in the morning. can you imagine? >> i was responsible for making that history. >> tell that story. >> one day they were toasting and the next day i came on and they had no alcohol. i was outraged. i said why don't you have alcohol mofor me. from that day on, they had alcohol.

>> you are the enabler. >> i hope my children are watching. >> brooke shields. you will watch kathie lee and hoda and new year's eve with carson daly. it starts at 10:00/9:00 central with jane lynch. mariah and superstars. you will have fun. comedians coming in. it will be a blast. a total blast. >> you will be watching "top gun." >> i will be watching "top gun" and falling asleep before my 6-year-old. ♪ take my breath away >> sorry, i went to a place. i went back to '86 for a second. >> totally with the glasses. >> with the bomber jacket. >> big hair. >> oh, yeah. >> the bomber jacket. >> the scene with the jeans and no shirt and glistening. val kilmer. >> he just said glistening. >> did that bother you? >> no. something. i don't know what happened. the word glistening.

>> i will do something i should not ask about on tv. will you share your wayne newton story? to give background, when you talk to brooke shields, there are details. wait a minute. >> we celebrated our new year's eve last night basically and my husband and christine. we told stories of debautourus stories when i was 16. i was invited by wayne newton to watch his show in new york city. he sent a plane for me. my mom got hammered and could not get on the plane. i'm so normal. >> she is. to her credit. >> i got my friend lisa and said get up and pack a bag. you are going on wayne newton's plane. we stole the tic tacs and all

the wrigleys. that is the story i will remember. >> the details i could throw away to the story. he sent me a horse. he bought me a horse. >> an arabian pregnant. the question is do i give back the foal or keep the horse. i had to give back the baby horse. >> if you are scoring at home, wayne newton sent 16-year-old brooke shields a pregnant horse and sent a 747 to her to send her to the show. >> my friend lisa and i had a good time. we did drink champagne. the evening ended up for her watching her feet in the toilet. >> that is the rest of the story we will tell you tomorrow on

"today." it is the end of the year. a lot of people were talking about the words used and overused in 2013. selfie was word of the year. not getting a lot of love at lake superior university. selfie was the run away winner in the list of words people wish would go away. >> other words? twerking. twerk. >> i can live without twerk. >> any words. carmageddon. >> twittersphere. hash tag. obamacare. >> that is not going anywhere. that is not going -- it is not good. fan base. i rely on that. >> fan base? >> i don't want that to go away. >> lake superior state is very picky this year. i'm trying to think of another word. >> i think the lols and omgs. >> the abbreviations.

>> i'm not a fan. >> how about the word amazeballs. >> anything "balls" does and work for me. okay. >> happy new year. should we do the weather? >> yes, let's do the weather. >> amazeballs is one of my favorite words. it is fun. the first time i heard it, i busted out laughing. >> try to strike it from the english language. >> i think we should get. >> yes. >> as for the weather, we are going to see some pretty cold, cold temperatures. we have wind chills that feel like 32 below in fargo, north dakota. 20 degrees below zero in northern minnesota. 19 below in la crosse, wisconsin. by the time it gets to the northeast, it is right in time to start the new year. it feels like 2 in cleveland. 15 in pittsburgh. we will see the coldest temperatures in northern new england whereas new york city, it is 23 and without much wind,

it feels like 23. times square. not too busy yet. the crowds will jam in there, it will be 27 with the wind chills in the teens. when you are surrounded by so many people, it will not feel that cold. clear skies in the northeast. we have snowshowers developing across the plains and iowa. that moves into chicago by tonight and this will turn into a bigger storm system as we go into thursday and frida >> happy new year's eave eve to you. temperatures this morning are mostly in the 30s and 40s. we're climbing nicely, but we still have lingering fog. especially in san francisco. want to show you what that looks like. can you see here plenty of low clouds. they're starting to thin out, though, and that's good news. we head throughout the day today. we're all going to+jt see a ni sunny sky like we're already getting. just high thin clouds here. otherwise, highs will be comfortable for the final day of the year. temperatures jumping into the wy 60s. this is above average kkl five o eight degrees, and it will be nice tonight for the fireworks

in san francisco. that's your latest forecast. >> thank you very much. and that's your latest forecast. >> and how to you keep from getting the things from last year holding you back. going to the danger zone. it's new year's eve. watch "top gun" all night long. we'll be right back. this is a cell tower from one of those major carriers. straight talk wireless uses the same cell towers they do. but we don't build or maintain them. so we can offer you the same great, nationwide coverage for half the cost. out here, and here, and here. well, not here. that would be weird. the world needs more straight talk. same phones. same networks. half the cost. get a samsung galaxy s3. unlimited everything just $45 a month. only at walmart. c explore what's new. for 575 calories or less on our lighter fare menu.

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refreshed, revived, balanced. >> for many the push and pull of life can be overwhelming and this year's tug of war may bleed into next year's sense of happiness. >> here to help you break the silence is the author of break through your upper limits on tv, clint arthur. good morning to you both. >> happy early new year. >> happy new year. >> we always say, stephanie, it's the turning of a page. i'll be a completely different person starting january 1st. how do you begin to achieve that? it never seems to workout that way. >> you have to get clear about what it is you want and what it is you're willing to let go of. you have to make room for the

thing that is good by releasing that which is no longer working and part of the way you can do that is by acknowledging your values. what you value dictates what you choose. >> and you say that writing things down is a good tactic. >> yes. >> you have a responsibility to it. >> yeah. if you write down what's here now, what you're give ago tension to both in your life and in your mind, then you can also take another list and say what is working there. what is not working there, and what do i need to take myself into a forward, positive motion. >> so clint, you have a good idea. you say december 31st is a good day to stop and ask yourself a question. what do you ask? >> ask yourself if this is going to be the last year of your life, what would you want to accomplish? that's been a super power in my life. especially when you ask yourself on this peak state moment like new year's eve or new year's day. there's nothing you can cannot achieve. >> how do you prevent life from getting in the way. you can make a big list and you want to do all of these things. but then your daily routine kind of stops you.

how do you break through all of that? >> invest in yourself and in a mentor. i have invested so much money in mentorship and that allowed noah chooef so mu -- me to achieve so much. if you can feel like you're invested in what you're trying to do, that will keep you motivated to stay after your goal. >> and you also said something about going out. i mean, we're so often out of our comfort zone when we ask for ourselves. and you mention that that's an important thing to ask of yourself is how comfortable are you not being comfortable in your comfort zone. >> yeah, pushing through your limits. life begins where your comfort zone ends. and the more you push outside of your every day life and your boundaries, the more you're going to grow as a person and achieve in this world and create as a legacy. >> it's scary. >> it can be. >> but it's great is when it's

scary. >> and a lot of it is about pulling away from what's comfortable and what we're used to and what we're accustomed to. what are examples people can be doing to that end? >> you have to be willing to get rid of the crumbs in order to make room for the cake. you have to be willing to acknowledge that you're worthy of the cake and the crumbs are just the crumbs. there's three steps to do that. one is to see what you want, vision what it is the way agent lea -- athletes do. second thing is to claim it. say it outloud to another person. bring another witness to what you want to be held accountable for and then do it. action trumps everything. if you're in that partnership with that accountability and you're really accountable to the thing you want to make happen this year, make it real. that's the way to avoid i'm just making a resolution and by january 28th no one is in the gym anymore. >> and forgiving yourself is there is a back step. that thing well i'm off my diet so i might as well eat the whole cake. how about start again.

>> and acknowledge that you will fail and that will inform the success. you must fall back. you're human. that's the other thing. we think resolution and perfection and absolute. it just can't be that way. i am guilty of that. i'm not saying i know how to do this but taking pressure off is a good idea. >> here's one from andrea, after a broken relationship and awful 2013 how can i get a more positive outlook for '14? >> be excited. when you let go of the old, that's when the new can come in and after you're leaving this broken relationship, let it go. let it go and just be open to whatever the year will bring and it will bring beautiful things. >> i feel better about 2014 already. >> i feel good right now. >> happy new year to you both. >> happy new year to you guys. >> the news you need to know before you leave the house. >> and we'll show you how to pull off your new year's eve party with last minute ideas right after this. ♪

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taking a look at the headlines, now, coming out from the new year, there was a new warning about a possible cyber threat. mcafee is predicting a rise in malware especially those using android systems. it's by more people using bitcoin. attacks targeting social networks are expected to increase. a new survey suggests employees will be cautious about hiring in the coming year. the annual forecast shows that 24% of companies plan to add full time workers in 2014 down slightly from this year. 24% said they'll hire at a slower rate. much of the hiring will be in science, technology, engineering and math. that cold weather may hit your hot cakes. syrup makers are assessing the .

the trees that produced the snap needed for the syrup. some trees snapped and pipelines were damaged and a lower than expected output could effect your prices down the road. >> while millions will be watching the ball drop in times square, not far from here, their eyes are going to be watching other things. in alabama, they drop an 800 pou pound peach. excuse me. i said alabama. it's in atlanta, of course, peach. pennsylvania, they're going to lower a strawberry and in mobile alabama folks are usher in the new year by dropping a massive moon pie. finally a new island that formed recently off japan is remarkable for more than the way it was formed. the island bares a striking resemblance to snoop piano. formed by a massive underwater eruption some are calling it snoop piano island.

>> that's cool. >> that is cool. >> peter, thanks. we'll show you what you can do with all of the holiday photo we'll show you what you can do with all when i grow up photo i'm gonna go to the moon. and then we can float to school. ahh. [ female announcer ] remember when you thought anything was possible? it still is. you can do weight watchers new simple start plan entirely online. and get more support than ever. it's a 2-week plan to start losing weight right away. join for free. weight watchers online. log into your new beginning today.

good morning to you. it's 9:26. i'm peggy bunker. technicians at san jose mineta are evaluating a plane that was grounded after it may have,0h @c experienced some sort of fire. the plane was on the runway, delayed due to fog this morning, when someone from the ground crew reportedly saw flames coming out of the engine. a spokesperson says there was a tailpipe burst. the aircraft taxied back to the gates. the plane was evacuated. no one was hurt. the flight was headed to minneapolis. crews are fighting a 40 acre brush fire east of san jose this morning in santa clara county. investigators say they have the fire controlled, but it is still burn 200 acres. it is burning near grant county park. the chp says two cars were vandalized and possibly set on fire, which started the brush fire. the family of 13-year-old

jahi mcmath has until next tuesday to move her to another facility. yesterday an alameda county judge ordered the oakland girl declared brain dead to be kept on a ventilator until january 7th. the family says a fa+0zkty in medford, new york, has agreed to take jahi, and also have an air ambulance company to get her there. when we come back, we'll take a look at the weather.

welcome back. temperatures are climbing getting rid of a lot of that fog. still some lingering, though, in the south bay. keep that in mind. 41 degrees here. mountain view at 42 degrees later on today. we're all going to enjoy the 60s and a nice mix for today. then by tonight, yep, looking really good right around midnight. fireworks should be clearly visible in san francisco and overall it will be cold but nice and clear as we head throughout tonight. temperatures are going to be headed to the city, 55 degrees. count on a lot of company and a lot of traffic. speaking of which let's check your drive. here's mike. >> getting into the city, starting this afternoon.

this morning's commute has been a dream. look at the south bay. what you can see of it. there's that haze there christina is talking about. everything is burning off. that is what's happening. it's not a problem as far as visibility for the drivers. look at the map. we're also talking about the fog burning off for the oranges. we still have a fire burning. peggy has told you about this. still going on at the grant county park there, and that is an issue. quimby and helena roads are closed through the area. we're watching that in the newsroom. let's move for toward. vehicles are cleared away from the walnut creek interchange. no problems for 24. back to you. >> we will have a local news update coming up in half hour. meantime, happy new year's eve. see you back here in a bit.

welcome back to today. it's tuesday morning, the final day of 2013. hope you're gearing up for a big new year's eve. or a relaxing one. i'm willie geist with brooke shields in for natalie. natalie and al have the day off today. so i understand you got some beauty secrets that women don't tell men about, is that the deal? >> i think there's a lot of beauty secrets they don't. my husband wishes i didn't tell him these things. >> you're very open about it. >> i'm like i got one right here. he's like you're my wife. but there's a lot of -- i don't know if you know all of them. >> okay. >> shaving little hairs on the top of your toes. >> what? no. you have hairs on the top of your toes? what are you? an ogre.

>> i am. okay. the waxing the mustache or bleaching. >> that we know about. >> removing skin from your feet. that's been being done. >> the dead skin. you rake it off there. >> yeah, rake it off. okay. i have yet to do this. i'm sure it's going to happen. plucking hairs from your nose. >> inside the nose. >> inside the nose. but sometimes you also get a little rogue one like here. >> wait, what? >> yeah, that happens in this area. they happen all over but, you know what, we don't like you guys to know that because we want you to think of us as beautiful pure clean -- >> you just shattered so much for so many men. >> i've been married 13 years. it was this you're didn't like. but here's the thing, this is the one thing -- i have been married a long time but i think at a certain point you have to

be really comfortable but i think when they think of boyfriends knowing these things, i think it's like do you go to theathroom with the door open? those are the kind of things that -- my husband will say i don't care how long we have been married, don't do that. you are my goddess and i do think you can -- >> i want you to be comfortable but not too comfortable. >> there's a line. >> let's keep the rogue hairs trimmed, for example. >> for example. >> especially the ones you just described. dylan, can you relate to any of this. >> the toes but not the chest hair. toes i'm okay with. >> oh. >> you never had one little extra one somewhere. >> but i've only been married a year. these are secrets that come out later. >> dylan is all smooth. >> moving on to this snowstorm we have to talk about, we'll jump right into the weather here. it comes in pieces. we have the cold air sitting up across the dakotas. that's this part of the storm.

but we also have a lot of moisture through the gulf of mexico. these are going to come together and turn into a bigger storm system mainly for new england where we'll see the accumulating snow. the snow starts to overspread the ohio river valley moving through the northeast through the day thursday. light for most of the day thursday but then the heaviest of the snow comes after midnight thursday night and through the morning on friday. that's when we're going to see most of our travel troubles but it's up through the boston area where we could end up with 6 to 9 inches 9:33. christina loren. still watching low loudz. they're starting to burning off. visibility still reduced. we have about a half a mile available to you in nevada. same for san francisco. finally creeping up to two and a half miles in the south bay. later on today look at the temperatures. ramping up the numbers. 61 for san francisco. the east bay, 6 degrees. when the sun sets, looking good for all your new year's eve plans. about 55 degrees tonight in san

francisco. and that is your latest forecast. willie and brooke. >> thank you, dylan. did new year's eve sneak up on you? if so, we have last minute ideas that will bring your new year's eve party together fast. >> here with creative ways to repurpose things you already have around the house is the author of picture perfect parties annette joseph. good to see you. >> good to see you. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> brooke is right. a lot of people haven't thought about it yet and it's here. what's the first thing you can do to plan the party? >> i like to repurpose things. think about things in your house that you already have. in my book, i talk a lot about going around your house and creating a party pantry. you probably have a lot of these under your sink. you may not know that but you get flowers, what do i do with my vases. this is a collection of vases and you'll fill them and take martini glasses and put dip in it. >> i love that. >> it's a beautiful, easy, quick and inexpensive presentation

because you already own the vases. >> they're festive. >> easy to clean and you can throw them in the dishwasher so it's sanitary. >> multipurpose for your cocktail glasses. >> yeah, add a little sparkle and glitter to your cocktail glasses. very, very easy. >> we have something for the kids as well. you just take the rim and you rub a little bit of lemon on it and you just dip it in this glitter and this glitter is actually very easy to find at the grocery store. you decorate cookies with it, right? >> yeah. >> yeah. >> yeah, all of your baking that you do. another really cool -- >> hello, we're throwing berries. >> all right. >> we'll get the party started already. feel free. help yourself. >> this i need to know if that's true or not. >> it is true. it is actually very true. these are sharpies. and you know the markers you get for your glasses, you don't have to do that. write cheers on it and sparkle.

>> a lot of them with antlers and things to put on glasses. >> no, you don't have to do that. you'll have a sharpie around the house. i don't suggest you do this on your grandmother's crystal but this you throw in a dishwasher and it comes out. >> it comes off? >> it does. >> you can use the magic erase if you like and it will come right off, see? >> so i'm really fascinated with this because this is something that i think i could do. >> so this is a very easy centerpiece. right around your house and collect all the clocks that you have in your house. put them in the center of the table or maybe put them in the foyer to greet guests. you have an instant centerpiece that costs you zero. >> digital work? >> digital is okay. >> dij at a is fine. i mean, you know, it can be whimsical. i drink a lot of wine. i don't know about you. >> god, no. >> take all of your wine bottles that you collected and spray paint them and use this really

cool, it's duct tape. they have now come out with sparkling fabulous tape. so that's what this is and then your tissue paper and have your kids help you with this and it's fun. and it's really pretty. >> and you can use pipe cleaners too, right? >> exactly. whatever you have around the house. >> this is creative with the cupcakes. >> the cupcake idea. this is another centerpiece idea and it's just cupcakes. i like the roman numerals. that's also done with sharpie but you could do it with just icing. since it's glass, you can just download and trace it. >> only have 12. >> everybody gets a cupcake. >> exactly. >> what have we got here? >> this is, i'm sure everybody has a shredder this time of year. you're cleaning out your office. so this is just shred that we use as confetti. >> it's easier to clean up. it's a little bit bigger. >> it's a good way to use your children. i use my children that way.

>> a good way to use your children. >> and then you put this cute little tag on it. it's an office tag, right? and everybody can open that at the stroke of midnight. >> i want to come to a party at your house. >> okay. >> that was a lot o i want to come to party at your house. that was a lot of fun. >> thank you. up next, how one man uses art to paint a better future for thousands of kids, next. would look like john stamos wow! wow! and in a perfect world, what's delicious would be healthy too. wish granted. dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt sounds too good to be true... it's thick, creamy but 0% fat and twice the protein this is really is too good to be true! dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt. and now a new greek lowfat yogurt made just for kids. danimals superstars. your kids will love it! mmmm ♪ dannon. he loves me. he loves me not.

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a big shot outside from the plaza, people are gearing up for new year's eve. we're doing the same thing inside studio 1-a. today, "hope to it" an organization started by a man after his sister and mom were diagnosed with cancer. >> he is now helping kids heal through art. >> it's like my world. good things happen in there. nobody bothers you. >> in cassie's world she attempts a school for homeless teens during the day and spends free time here at a reason to survive. >> i love the fact i can paint something. when i see the painting i know what i was thinking and the colors, you know, how they mean

things. >> art founder understands the pain and therapy behind the paint strokes. as college freshman he learned both his mother and sister had been diagnosed with cancer. >> i took that year off and stayed at home. i used to go up to my bedroom every day and close the door and put on music and paint. the whole world would disappear. >> he lost his mother, but his sister kate survived and became a nurse. and matt found his calling. >> i wanted to create the arts center where kids could come and forget their pain. express themselves and people good again. all of them are facing adversity. they need a reason to survive their pain. so we've got kids who are homeless. kids experiencing domestic violence, foster care. but they love music and art and writing and poetry. that's their vehicle out. >> art is that vehicle. for nearly 2,500 kids a year.

classes are free. and if you need a ride, their van-go will pick you up. arts is a safe haven for many of the budding artists. >> it's been hard for me to focus in school and do good in school because of things that are going on in my house. >> despite cassie's only struggles she mentors others. >> i think that's my number one priority, make sure everybody is having a good day and not a horrible day. like who wants a horrible day? everybody wants a good day. ♪ >> a good day for many is working on music. dance. even ceramics. >> take this sponge. >> asia's home life has been challenging too. >> it's good to have a place that you can go where you know you'll be safe. you know the people who are there are really going to take care of you and love you. they're my family. >> and it's not all emotional support. kyle suffered a dramatic brain injury when he was 18. after skateboarding without a

helmet. >> i kind of use artwork as a therapy to like recover from that. it gave me like an outlet to like focus on and get something that i was good at. >> such an abstract form of communication, so putting something down in a physical pace is very empowering in itself. >> taja won a contest after arts submitted one of her paintings. >> i think it was $50 which went straight to my direct deposit, of course. for anyone that feels a very creative inclination, maybe has been getting support from the people that they value, ind -- i would remind them all the great thinkers in the world have all stood outside of the box in one way or the other. >> for kids like cassie, asia and taja and kyle stepping out of the box is only a first step in their journey. it's a great program. some talented artists in that

group. did you see that artwork? >> yes. so touching. >> the program is called arts. a really great program. if you want to learn more about it go to today.com. we have plenty of information. >> so important to feel value. this is one way. >> a safe haven, a place they can feel safe. >> they matter. their opinion is important. coming up next, we'll teach you how to turn some old christmas cards, vacation photos, into a display for the whole family. right after this. [ female announcer ] whether you're working like a dog

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from a stack of holiday photo cards you got to the pictures snapped on your family vacation, what to do with all the photos from this year. >> here with creative ways to put them all on display to enjoy all yearlong is senior style editor at the nest.com amy goodwin. >> we don't throw these away. repurpose them. >> we have great ideas of how to repurpose them in stylish ways. >> cool. >> first up, we made this frame. i popped out the back. i put up the string with tape, believe it or not, and got these miniclothes pins from the container store. and this is what you -- you cut out the photos from your holiday cards and you can display them throughout the year. as you get more cards in the mail. >> more concise. >> right. >> don't have them all over your mantle.

>> right. exactly. because we remove the holiday elements from them, you can keep them up all year. if you get more mail with updated photos, add them throughout the year as well. >> and brooke loves this one. wrapping paper. >> you make your own holiday wrap. you can also make it nonholiday if you can overlap the cards such that you get rid of all the wording like happy holidays and happy hanukkah, merry christmas. >> it would be fun to get a present wrapped with your present on it. >> it's like the gift in and of itself. >> tell me about the vacation wall over here. what did you do? >> these are from peek-a-boo.com. these are gorgeous canvas prints. take one photo you love from each vacation each year and put one up on the wall and gradually you get this beautiful display in your home. at the nest.com we're all about personalizing corners of your home and this is a wonderful way to do that. you would have collections of different vacation photos up. >> they don't have to be this

big. you could make them smaller and have a little section. >> you have exactly the right idea. >> send these to the website and it comes back like these. >> gorgeous kanscanvas photos. place. >> very cool. >> we're doing a little yearbooking over here which is fantastic. >> this is the end of year photo book. if you go to their site, they literally have all the steps you need to put together a end of year photo book. it's overwhelming. you have so many different photos. also a table of contents. how many photos to use and what to include. i love that. i actually think these are on sale as well. >> we do this every year and we also do a calendar and they help you set it up. >> they do it for you. >> that's so brilliant. >> funky chunkies. an independent american artist that takes 20 to 25 of your photos and makes a photo bangle. >> that's great. >> because she is an independent artist she can make 100 orders

and make it in time for valentine's day. >> what's her name? >> leanna. >> i'm loving this. >> from shutter fly.com we have a new way to display photos on glass which is beautiful. there's five different types of shapes and you can include 8 photos. these are on wood which is really cool. this is a little bit clear. >> and quickly, the kids art work, put it in one place. >> you send them the children's art work, they transform it into a museum quality art book. >> thank you so much and happy new year. >> we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, kathie lee and hoda brush up on their shakespeare with ethan hawk. >> holiday

good morning to you. 9:56. i'm peggy bunker. an officer opened fire in san francisco overnight after a suspect reportedly tried to hit a police/[2 sergeant with his c. police chased the man through the city from the bay view district to 19th avenue. that's where the man crashed

into another car. the officer fired one shot, but missed the suspect and hit the suspect's vehicle instead. then the man took off again and crashed into a concrete barrier a couple of blocks away in front of the police station. he was taken into custody without incident. it's unclear if the suspect had a gun. the suspect was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. with the 57. checking in with meteorologist christina loren. how are we looking for new year's eve? >> nice and clear this year, peggy. good morning to you. we still have fog lingering from earlier. temperatures mostly in the 40s. want to show you san francisco where the fog is lingering at this time. you can see here just turning into haze at this point. this will be the case for the next couple of hours. we'll continue to clear you out, expecting a sky similar to sin oel and most of the bay area for most of the day. then by tonight, yep, just as we get closer and closer to the new year, we're going to see the clouds clear out of here. you should get a clear shot of the fireworks. today will end up in the 60s.

64. 64 for the south bay. peninsula hitting the upper 06s on the way to the east shore. temperatures will be comfortable, but cold tonight. not too )-brt)q no rain this year. looking good overall. let's check your drive with mike. >> cool fireworks. that's awesome. over here palo alto, some of the haze and fog still burning off. that's the issue as far as the visibility of the roadway, but on the roadway a smooth drive here. 1 on 1 does show you the entire stretch with the orange. potential for fog. still drifting around. pretty much just lifting up to the cloud levels here. coming off the san mateo and dumbarton bridge. no problem. that's the orange highlight thered. no problems. the northbound routes have been clear all morning. >> all right. good news there. thanks, mike. i'll have another local news update for you coming up here in just about half hour. have a good day.

from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. happy new year. it's tuesday, the 31st, last day of the year for you to get your act together. >> make your resolution, do your business. >> i hope you all have a -- have you noticed we have never had a hat that fit us? mine is always -- and hoda's sits on top like a stove pipe. maybe this will work. that little thing. want to try that? >> they don't make hats big

enough for willard and me. >> ethan hawke is here. he's starring in "macbeth" andh knocking them dead. >> i wonder if he's going to come on and brood like macbeth. or jovial in the holiday spirit. >> i think he might be a little in character. i'm guessing. we live around in that general vicinity. i've seen him there and i wondered -- >> stayed in character you think? >> we'll make some cocktails. you have to get your hair done for tonight. you don't have much time. how you can do those great up-dos and things yourself. >> and we're going to have a look back at all the fun we've had on this show in the past year. >> what about new year's eve? >> usually, we're in the keys. that's the way we'll be celebrating. we just go out for a nice dinner. we have friends who have been coming for the last four years. one of him i think is in his

90s. so collectively we're about 600 years old, the group of us, that's been getting together. we're lucky if we -- if a ball drops, if you know what i'm saying, you know, if it does we don't usually see it because we're all -- so to speak. of course, i don't know what happens when everybody else goes into their rooms but -- but i can speak for myself and say -- >> oh, my god. >> and then the next day we always go to alabama jacks and put on -- put on our clogs. you got to spend new year's day at a biker bar. it gives you hope for the future. >> i was just thinking back to when my parents -- they always went out for new year's always dressed. my dad had a tux, mom had a dress. they always took us all to a hotel. they would get dressed. and take us to a hotel. our fun was staying up all night

watching movies. because they loved to dance and they always made a thing out of new year's eve. it's funny, as i grew older, i grew not to love -- >> the -- all the -- your favorite thing in the world is to get in your jammies and be cozy. >> i know. i went one time to type times when i first moved here. it's crazy. it looks so much fun on tv. and it is fun kind of. but you're freezing. you're jammed in. if you're in a pen, you're stuck. there's no bathroom. you're trapped. there are people, we've heard rumors, who just went ahead and popped a squat -- >> oh, hoda. >> there was nowhere to go. >> what has happened to you? in the 5 1/2 years -- i have seen a decline, a decline in everything. you look great but other than that -- you know what i actually learned from you the other day

and i'm so excited? >> what? >> remember, was it last week you were talking about your favorite thing and it was the thing that -- >> the music thing. >> yes, i do, hoda, i did it. >> in case you don't know, it's called musicsmatch. you put it on your phone. you download the app. it gives you all the words to the songs. so it's like a little karaoke on your iphone. it's free. ♪ oh, my god, we're reading the words. oh, my god, this is huge. >> i was a pop star for 15 seconds. i was number three on the bill board charts back in 2000 until they found out it was me. that's the truth. >> by the way, that video, people, the crew especially, love that video. there's a special connect they have. >> i maiss my body. >> who's bigger than us? >> well, who isn't?

you can spend with us new year's eve tonight. we did a special. it's going to air tonight. >> a two-hour prime time special. it's one of those great look-backs at the buzziest stories of the year of it the great crew from "dateline" and all the prime-time folks put together this thing. sports, even politics. anyway, it's tonight. 2013. it airs at 8:00. >> listen. cheers. everything happy. >> happy happy new year's. hoda's going to be working together. yes. so cut out the stuff. >> i've got to get on a plane immediately. >> she's going to be with al roker. they've been having a thing for years. the 125th annual tournament of roses parade. the theme is dreams come true, hoda woman. >> okay, great, anyway, it airs tomorrow, right here at nbc at 11:30 a.m., 10:30 central. so that means that my -- tonight, i'm going to have to go to bed early. >> so little time to get there.

how are you going to do it, hoda woman? okay. we are drinking, by the way, the official champagne of new year's. >> i bet you people have wondered how to pronounce this. it's spelled m-o-a-t. >> it's moat. but it's french so -- >> but it's not french. >> what is it? >> it's german. >> the moat is german. >> what is it -- with a "t." but i would have -- >> you know what has happened to you? again, i ask the question. and it's not rhetorical. >> okay. anyway, we're happy to be with you guys. thank you for the great year we've all had this past year. and don't feel bad if you're going to stay home tonight because most people do. you're not alone. >> there's actually a study. it says only 14% of americans go out and party on new year's eve. most people stay home. more than a quarter of the people don't make it to midnight. hello. so sometimes you do feel bad

when you're kind of on the couch and you're cozied up with people. you feel like you're missing something. but you're not. >> well, you know, it's a personal thing. some people just love it. i love it in the keys because when the kids were little we'd go down on the beach and with the kids and watch -- you know, they love staying up. now nobody wants to. everybody wants to get away from me. my children, my husband. i'll be alone on new year's eve and i'll be thinking of you. my kids love coming home and i never see them the entire time they're home. >> running around with friends. >> of course they do. new year's eve, hoda? >> i remember one of the worst. i've had some nice new year's eve. i remember once a guy asked me out for new year's eve and i was so excited and i was working at a job where i didn't make any money so i went and spent money on perfume and a new outfit. i was so excited. i was getting out of my car. the perfume shattered on the ground. i was like, oh, my god, i spent

all my money on that perfume. i put my hands in it. then he came to pick me up. i'm in my outfit, my hair, my perfume. he showed up in jeans. he had a white t-shirt on. i looked at him and he said, are you ready? i was like, where are we going? like, i thought it was new year's eve. we went to his house. there were a bunch of guys there. they were wrestling with a german shepherd. the ball wasn't even on tv. i was so upset. someone went out to go get more beer and i jumped in the car and said take me home. that was my worst new year's. >> you never saw him again. >> no. can you imagine? you know when you're so excited about a night, then you feel like the biggest dork. maybe he didn't ask me out, maybe it wasn't a real date. why did he say, do you want to go out on new year's eve? why am i still bothered? >> you're one of those people you want to avoid at parties. >> what? >> yeah, do you know -- there are different people, if you are going out tonight, you need to

avoid. you know what they are? >> well, let's get to them. >> if they can get them up here. you're one of them, by the way. >> i am. well, there's the anecdote hostage taker. people who never stop telling a long story and you try to back away. >> because -- ♪ everyone has a story >> then there's the gee ographer. they're so obsessed with where do you live, where do you work, is it near the park. the deep thinkers. the person who ropes you into philosophical discussion. the music's blaring and they want to talk about socrates. how about the person who's always shifting around you? >> somebody better to talk to is basically what they're saying. the long sprinkler. that's someone who dances at your house with a drink in her hand. >> i've done that. you've done that too. >> no, no. then there's hold-dini. that's the one who disappears and you never see again because

they don't say good-bye. >> i do that. i'll tell you what, people like that, they like it when you leave. they don't notice. it's a big party. people are drinking. i just -- why do i go, hey -- >> hey. if you're ever at an event at hoda and she makes a point to come up and say hello to you, it means you're never going to see her again. >> coming up, new year's cocktail without the bubbly. and brush up on your shakespeare. >> and ethan hawke talks about "macbeth." >> very dapper. >> right after this. would look like john stamos wow! wow! and in a perfect world, what's delicious would be healthy too. wish granted. dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt sounds too good to be true... it's thick, creamy but 0% fat and twice the protein this is really is too good to be true! dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt.

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with less pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. it was nearly 25 years ago when we first saw ethan hawke on the big screen starring in the highly acclaimed "dead poet's society." now the director, the novelist, the father of four and all

around hunk is back on broadway, this time starting in the title role, it's a really easy thing to do, of shakespeare's "macbeth." >> such an easy thing. >> once you rehearse for that for a couple of days. >> i said we didn't need any rehearsal, just threw it up. >> but you love the baird, as those of us -- >> i love the baird. >> it's not your first rodeo with the baird, is it? >> it's not often people refer to the baird as a rodeo but yeah, it's not my first. i've done it a couple times. but the truth is, as an american actor, you know, you don't get that much of a chance to do it. these brits grow up doing this stuff. they've seen the stuff 15 type s times -- >> it's not fair is what you're saying? >> no, i actually haven't done it. this is my third shakespeare play but people think i've done it a lot. >> i remember reading it as a

kid, trying to understand what they were talking about. >> the big mistake is i think people think they're supposed to understand every word. you know, if you listen to a rap song or something like that, you don't sit there and try to break down -- >> hoda does. >> when you let the language just kind of flow and some of what you get and some of what you don't. you just listen to the rith themes. you just kind of enjoy the playful use of language. and what -- >> right. >> we do the play every wednesday for high school kids. it's the most incredible experience of my life. and they get it. after about five minutes -- five minutes, they're struggling. and then the poetry of it just takes over. by the end they're cheering and screaming. >> is it because they've never seen anybody else really do it, you know what i'm saying? >> that's true. a lot of the theater people. my wife came to see it on the first preview and she said the people in front of her -- afterward, i said, how was it? she said, the people in front of us kept saying he's no patrick stewart. just know you're up against it, okay. >> wow.

how much do you wrestle with that, even attempting something like this? because it is a brave thing to do. was hamlet harder or macbeth? >> yeah, which one to you want me to answer? >> take your time. >> okay, as soon as you sign up for something like this, you are kind of signing up for that. i mean, it's funny, even great actors, peter o'toole, sadly, passed away, in his obituary, they talked about his terrible reviews for "macbeth." it's tough all over, you know. >> eight academy award nominations -- >> and they still give him a hard time. so which is harder, for me, acting in film is a lot easier. "hamlet" as a movie, you can create an intimacy with the camera a lot easier than performing it live for 1,200 people every night. >> you want to give us a little screen test or something? you want to do that? >> yeah. stay with me here, okay. i've come prepared. this is "macbeth's" first

speech. this is his first speech. i'm going to play the role of the witches. i don't say anything. >> okay. >> that is long. that's a lot of stuff. >> we're going to do it together. it's going to be kind of like -- >> tell us when to talk. >> one of those talent shows. so what happened is i'm playing this witch and you don't understand what i've been saying, right, you don't understand. what's that witch mean? you say, go. >> stay, you imperfect speaker, tell me more. >> good, keep going. >> by final death, i know i am feign -- >> fame. >> fame of famous -- >> glom. >> keep going with that line. >> but carter. >> carder, good, nice tension there. >> a prosperous gentleman -- >> what, a prosperous what? >> prosperous gentleman. >> there's that "t," there it is. >> and to be a prosperous

gentleman and to be king stands not with the prospect of belief. >> well, you're getting a little english accent here. you don't need the english accent. >> what was macbeth, scottish, i forget. >> yeah, you don't need that. >> we got to run, babe. >> oh, no, this is fun, i was so much better than you. >> i had harder words! >> can i say something, the truth is, she won hands down. i don't want to make anybody uncomfortable, but -- >> that's all right, she's got longer leg, god is fair. >> ethan, absolute pleasure to be with you. great run. and you can catch him in "macbeth" at the vivian beaumont theater. >> coming up, holiday hairstyles you can do in seconds for your big night out. >> and we raise our glass for new year's eve cocktails. stick around. more fun this afternoon than you can possibly imagine. before you settle for another ordinary mattress, isn't it time you discovered the

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just a few hours to go until most of us will raise a glass of champagne to say good-bye to 2013 and ring in the new year. >> our guest is an alcohol historian. he's here with a few new year's eve cocktail options for anyone looking to think outside the bubbly box. shouldn't be afraid to do that, right? >> no, it's easy, fun, festive, not too heavy on the alcohol because it's a long evening. not too much work. punch is something we see at parties. >> this goes back to the 1700s. it's simple to make. it's the original american party drink. it starts -- you put lemon peel and sugar into a lemon jar and let it sit a couple hours overnight. that's all lemon oil, which is so tasty. put it in your jar. pour it over the ice. >> okay. >> those are the lemon peoples

which you can drape over, if you want to be or tifrtic about it. then rum, funky jamaican rum. >> funky jamaican rum. >> exactly. cognac is here. >> this is going to serve -- >> this is going to be -- this will serve like 30 people. >> hoda. >> you say -- >> and that is -- >> now, why was it important that you put one in before the other? >> i didn't like to put the -- >> that's just the way he likes them. he's an historian. that's the way they do it. >> so you stir it around. grate a little nutmeg over the top. >> nutmeg. >> always do that fresh. smells good. kind of fun. people like the personal touch. and we end up with something like this. >> actually something exactly like this, right?

>> here, hody. >> thank you, thank you. >> thank you very much. >> cheers, cheers. i taste the nutmeg. hody, you like that. >> what's the next -- >> you don't. >> that's classic -- >> okay, we've got a new york sour here which goes back to the 1880s. >> sour now. >> give them a little stir. the fun part of this is i'm taking red wine and just pouring it over the back of my spoon. >> just to get that -- >> look how gorgeous that is. >> we only have a couple of seconds. we'll skip these. >> all right, let me -- there. another one. >> all right. yeah, we can sip on -- >> we love your enthusiasm. >> what's this? >> this is invented for a chorus girl who married a millionaire. >> flora dora, that's right. >> you can put a little umbrella on it if you want. >> this is not the big brush off

but you took a lot of time. >> yeah, you sure did. >> we'll take a look back at our fun year after this. gives me rates for progressive direct and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me. but those rates are for... them. so them are here. yes! you want to run through it again? no, i'm good. you got it? yes. rates for us and them -- now that's progressive. call or click today. ♪ ♪ ooh, la la ♪ sing ooh, la la la la ♪ come on, y'all, ooh, la la [ female announcer ] set your success in motion with the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks.

with the cereal you love and so much more. what will you gain when you lose? >>ood morning. i'm peggy bunker. the family of jahi mcmath has until next tuesday to move her to another facility. yesterday an alameda county judge ordered the oak willed girl who has been declared brain dead to be kept on a ventilator

until january 7th. the family says the facility in medford, new york, has agreed to take jahi. they've also made arrangements with an air ambulance company to get her there. an officer opened fire in san francisco overnight after a suspect reportedly tried to hit a police sergeant with his car. police chased the suspect through the city from the bayview district to 19th avenue. that's where the-, suspect crasd into another car. the officer fired one shot at the man, but missed. the suspect was later taken into custody. and we will have another look at your weather and your traffic coming up right after this quick break. ♪ [ man ] yo buzz! drop that beat!

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welcome back. now, the kingsides have returned, and they'll be with us all the way through thursday, so it's a good-looking finish to the year. temperatures today are going to be comfortable. just want to put this on your radar. as far as what we're expecting impact-wise, flooding is possible near high tide at the immediate coast and around the bay. keep that in mind, and high tide is usually between about 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. as we head throughout the day today, temperatures are going to be comfortable, ending up in the 60s across the board. we're talking about the upper 60s in the east bay. san francisco today right around 61 degrees. let's take a look at your drive. here's mike. >> not much of a commute this morning, but let me tell what you will develop. the bay bridge toll plaza, let's look at that. very clear right now. in about a half hour things will start to build, and it will continue to believe as the crowds head in towards san francisco for new year's eve shen an begans. the bay bridge and golden gate bridge, southbound 101 will see traffic develop over the next couple of hours. plan for that. right now the orange in the area

just means a chance of some fog. likely hayes. peggy, back to you. >> thanks. we have more local news coming up this morning in about a half hour at 11:00 a.m. see you then. we're back with this new year's eve day. if you're looking in the mirror and thinking i can't do a thing with my hair, you are in luck. >> different hairstyles you can create tonight in minutes. i know people are probably in panic mode. >> i'm giving you three ideas that cost less than $10 and you can buy it at any drugstore. >> prove it. >> i'm going to prove it right now. adriana has her hair in a side ponytail. very simple. take the doughnut and you pull it through. >> uh-huh, uh-huh. >> and then literally all's you do is with the doughnut, the

whole tip to this is to create a side bun and cover it. clip it. >> you take part of the hair and do it? >> cover. the whole thing is just to cover that little mother in there. >> that's going to keep the whole thing together. >> if you have to -- >> yeah, i know. >> you can just tuck it in. >> okay. >> beautiful. >> and you know what i love, it's not so thick looking. >> yeah, yeah, no, no, it shouldn't be thick. with any luck, you can even mess it up more. if you've got a great night, it will just be even more messy. >> beautiful. >> what's julie got going? >> julie has a simple -- obviously, her hair is already up to save time. >> she's going to make a top bun. >> this has been made famous by the kardashians. sharon stone did it at some, like, something. a little bit different that it's

open. h her's was a circumstance closed. the trick is to overcorrect front ways. it's as simple as a clip. >> what are we going to do with erin's hair, a little spray. >> a little spray and comb it. >> top buns are fun. >> and you just go like that. >> look at that. what is going on? it's crazy. >> there she goes. it's a little elevated. >> very elevated. >> it's very elevated. >> we'll work on that. >> we got the gist, julie, thank you. >> thank you, julie, you rock. >> i think it was this with the problem. >> we got lindsay here at the end. >> this is the simplest one of all. you take the bottom. we're going to try to make a little more elegant. all you do is wrap the rubber band. >> that's her hair? >> it's her hair. one clip. >> i like that.

>> i do too. >> to make it a little more elegant, you just add a little height. >> so it's just a variation on the ponytail. >> a variation on the ponytail. >> all these things you can get in the drug store these bun things? >> rite-aid, wherever. >> okay. >> excellent. >> thank you, luis. >> how do you like that high bun over there? >> that's my favorite. >> it's a little bit artsy. >> or you can go to luis' beautiful salon here on fifth avenue. they know what they're doing. >> yes, yes, yes. >> all right. coming up -- >> and i'll throw in a few highlights. >> we'll take a look back at all the fun we've had this year. happy new year. what does that first spoonful taste like?

ok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal.

whether you plan on spending this evening wrapped in a

blanket watching a movie or socializing at some new year's eve soiree, you got to eat something. >> here is chef ryan scott. the host of food rush on the live well network. and newly engaged! >> we're so happy for you. >> we've been waiting for this to happen. >> it's been a while, yeah. >> congratulations. she looks beautiful. you showed us a picture. >> she waited for me. lucky me. >> that's awesome. >> the whole thing about new year's eve is you want to actually hang out with your friends and not be cooking in the kitchen. so i came up with my favorite appetizers. you don't like meat and you can't eat cheese but for everybody at home -- here, i got you both cocktails. pomegranate and a little pit of champagne. what you want to do is take -- this is the simplest three ingredient dish you could have. a little bit of cream cheese. just like so. right in the middle. take a pepperchini.

you roll it up like so and skewer it. i want you to try to make one of these, okay. >> a competition, who can make it quicker. ready, go. roll. >> i want mine to be perfect. >> i'm just making sure mine looks just right. >> just gorgeous. >> think about it, when you are making appetizers for new year's eve, you want things that can sit out, that you don't have to worry about, is it hot, is it cold. >> you don't want it coagulating somewhere. >> coulding an la ing coagulati day. here's a drink. try this one over here, okay. this is deviled eggs. >> i'll wait. >> here's the kicker for the deviled eggs. pickle juice is the immuls fewer. >> did you just say caper juice?

>> take a small bite. >> that's delicious. i can taste the capers in there. >> simple robocu. >> that machine that makes it nice and smooth. >> and how about a sweet? a sweet that you can get everything done. puffed cereal inside here. lays potato chips or any potato chips. pretzels, chocolate, butterscotch, pistachios. >> combo. >> it's sitting out. you don't have to worry about if it's hot, if it's hot, if you're mixing it, so on. >> deviled eggs. >> okay, my favorite thing is -- not really my favorite thing but -- >> you know, kind of cure the hangover. simple like coffee liquor which i have right here and a little bit of yag meister. which yag meister has a lot of kick to it. >> this is a morning drink? >> at my house -- >> as if she's never seen it before. >> i don't have a coffee machine at my house.

this is what i drink in the morning. take this guy right here. you can't have any cream. so this is ice. take coffee, ice cream, right over the top of this. you do it with a touch of cream. this is a nice little pick me up in the morning. think about it when you're doing new year's dishes. you want it simple, fast, delicious. this is my version. here you go, try it. try this and you have -- >> cheers. >> all of ryan's recipes are on our website klgandhoda.com. >> you know what it's almost time for? the best of our year. how can you possibly pick? take a look at the celebrities who dropped by right after this. oh, remember that?

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♪ cause i'm happy ♪ clap along >> what a year it's been from

the soup to celebs, we've had a lot to talk about. a lot of interesting people to talk with. who can forget the new hit song "i clap for you"? >> i want a hoda. >> that's right. let's look back at 2013. ♪ >> whoo! there is a celebration. >> why don't you kill your co-host? ♪ >> please like us on facebook. please. ♪ all right okay >> so it's -- am i even here? let me ask you a question though, do you want a hoda on her copy? i want a hoda on your copy. yeah, yeah. >> stop, stop. >> get a grip. like i really care. >> what the hell's going on? >> that is something nobody at

home needed. >> cheers. >> i'll see you later. >> mm, that's good. >> god bless you all. >> i'll do one every time i accidentally say 60. >> you just said it. you know what a shot is, it's all the way down. >> oh, my god, she did it. >> ah, 60's good. >> oh! ♪ >> cheers to that. >> i'm having trouble looking at you because of of that massive pumpkin. >> oh, thank you. >> all we have to say is -- >> gorgeous. >> gorgeous. >> hollywood. >> hollywood. >> heartthrob. >> heartthrob. >> with a very -- >> careful -- >> who's obviously got what it

takes. >> there is a difference between love and sex, isn't there? >> there is. i can't remember what it is. >> take a look at what women -- >> never miss it. >> and how they groom -- >> how did anybody find anything attractive down there until we started shaving, dyeing and bejazzling and mowing and -- okay, okay. >> which one are you, missy? >> i'm the landing strip. anyway. >> now we feel weird with any foam finger. >> only if you're doing this. ♪ i know you want it ♪ i feel so lucky ♪ hey hey hey ♪ you want to hug me ♪ what rhymes with hug me >> i'm happy you love it. >> what happened to the rest of the song? >> okay, want me to break into song? ♪ she told me she came from the

county of cork ♪ ♪ the cookaracha club ♪ here we come on the run with our burger on the bun ♪ ♪ come tell me your tales of your sweet ♪ ♪ low hanging ♪ she lets it all hang out on the tube ♪ >> it's time for the celebration. ♪ i want to walk you down the street ♪ ♪ show off your feet but they're huge ♪ >> ♪ yes all i want for christmas is kathie lee under my tree ♪ ♪ ♪ what does the fox say ♪ mind my own business and try to forget that sweet lassie from cork ♪ ♪ applause applause applause ♪ i live for the applause applause applause ♪

♪ applause applause applause >> the best show in the world. >> whoo! >> wow! that was awesome. >> we have the best job in the whole world and i adore you. >> i adore you too. >> oh! >> we want to thank the people who work with us. vivian and jim murphy. and researcher brittany shriver who worked so hard on that, you guys, that means so much to us. >> does that mean all the other shows we did were just crapola? thank you very much. >> there's more, there's more. >> what did i miss? >> what we just did! oh wow. you look incredible!

right?! is this the bacon and cheese diet? this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. this is so much more... what's different? oh, it's my chicken and cheese enchilada diet. well keep it up, honey. it's working. oh, gracias! did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! lisa, did i tell you i'm on the... [ male announcer ] soups so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups.

what a year it has been, hoda, you know, i finally got an iphone. >> yes, indeed. i had to get a new phone because

i messed up and showed my number on the air. >> to the whole world. you also got a new doggy. >> i did. i got my blake and my blake got to meet the blake shelton. let's take a look back at the laughs we've had, at my expense most of the time. >> have a great new year's eve, everybody, we love you, we'll see you tomorrow, god bless. ♪ celebrate celebrate >> have a great show. >> the kids are back in sport, the leaves are changing, the tailgating's in full swing. enough about hoda's sex life. >> here we go. >> looks like he's got my hairdo. >> he can go from either side. >> that's quite a teat. >> what did we do? >> i don't know. ♪ you're gonna hear me roar >> oh, she's got crazy eyes. >> i'm so excited. i picked this one! >> what are you doing, blake?

what are you doing, blake? >> there's even more sexual tension now. >> now that's just weird. >> they're hot, they're handy, and they know how to work with wood. >> no one's going to read about anyone over 60, i'm sorry. >> having sex? >> having sex. >> it is disgusting. >> you just take like a -- and you put it through the wiener. >> oh, god. >> after we bake it -- >> you put a thing on it. >> go for it. >> whoo. it's a boy! >> perfect. give it a little jiggle. >> jiggle it. >> oh, do it, do it. >> close-up on my chest please when they say jiggle. you go up to somebody and you go, do you need a doctor? and they go no, why? because your body is sick. ♪ >> we got to talk about our phone. >> i'm going to call this

number. oh, oh. there's the number. oh, is that my number? >> hoda! >> is my fphone ringing? hello, hello. i have 20 voice mails. 22. 23. >> oh, my gosh. >> i think it's funny. >> hello, everybody! >> welcome to universal studios hollywood. >> thank you. ♪ ♪ hey i heard you were a wild one ♪ >> can you believe we made it to charleston, south carolina? we saw it in the window and we just had to have it. >> don't belittle yourself. i am thrilled. i'm never going on the earlier part of the "today" show. i will only come -- >> yes, yes. >> you know what, i give that a like. ♪

♪ tonight we own the night

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right now at 11:00 new details on the family of four found dead in their southern california home overnight. now we know how they died. officials at children's hospital oakland say they're ready to take their life support and fight involving 13-year-old jahi mcmath to court. plus, on our 23rd spare the air day this month a new fire burning in santa clara county darkening the sky with smoke. this ahead of the new year. ♪ good morning to you on this new year's eve. thank you for joinksz. i'm peggy bunker. the brush fire does top our news this morning. it started in santa clara county sending thick smoke into our already hazy skies. we have team coverage on the story.